


there's a raven in Fox Tower (her name is Chainsaw)

by Kaladin_x_happiness



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic, Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Blue kicks ass as a striker, Canon warnings will apply, Crossover, F/F, F/M, I'm not going to exceed the violence in AFTG but I can't promise I won't match it, M/M, Ronan Lynch & Blue Sargent Friendship, Swearing, i couldn't find the fic I wanted to read so i decided to write it, minor changes to canon, mobsters meet the leylines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:01:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 24,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22377643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaladin_x_happiness/pseuds/Kaladin_x_happiness
Summary: Blue and her Raven boys get recruited to the Palmetto Foxes. Shenanigans ensue.
Relationships: Allison Reynolds/Renee Walker (All For The Game), Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Richard Gansey III/Blue Sargent, Ronan Lynch & Blue Sargent, Ronan Lynch/Adam Parrish
Comments: 202
Kudos: 467





	1. a striker named Blue

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfic and I'm a little nervous, to be honest, but I'm posting anyway because cowardice will get me nowhere. 
> 
> Mostly canon-compliant, set after The Raven King and The King's Men. A few minor details will be changed but I'm trying to keep the heart of it.

Blue exited the court, racket balanced over her shoulder. She was sweating and tired and extremely proud. Henrietta High School had won their rivalry match against Aglionby for the first time since Blue had joined the team, and she was fully aware that she was responsible for it. She had scored 4 of the 7 goals herself, after all, and each one of them had been hard-earned. Her friendship with members of the Aglionby team did not affect the ability to play against each other. Instead, it made all of them fight harder, and made the game that much more satisfying to win.

"Hey Sargent! C'mere."

Blue paused without turning around. "What do you want, Coach?"

"There's a recruiter here to see you."

That got her full attention. Turning around, Blue saw Mr. Moore, her Exy coach, standing next to her mother outside of his office. "Can they wait? I'd like to shower," she said. She did want to shower, but more importantly she wanted to change back into her handmade clothes. They weren't just a fashion statement or a desire to be different. They served as a warning sign, a protective shield against people who might judge her. She didn't want to meet a prospective coach without her armor.

"Come in, Blue," her mother said, tapping her toe on the floor. This morning, during the daily card ritual, Blue had drawn the Knight. Maura had told her that she would be meeting somebody today. This person would open a door for her future, and Blue would need to decide if it was the door she wanted. Blue had asked for more specifics, but Maura had declined, always insisting that Blue's future was her own. "It's time. This is it."

Blue sighed in defeat and stalked over to the door, which Moore opened for her. The office was a bit cramped, because a room that was originally intended as a cleaning closet really shouldn't have been able to fit a desk that size, but somehow it had gotten in here anyway. Behind the desk was a tall man with brown hair and tribal tattoos. She recognized him quickly, because Henry was a dramatic little fanboy who was constantly going on about his sports teams. This was David Wymack of the Palmetto Foxes, and he was here to recruit her.

"You must be Blue."

"And you must have made a mistake, because you only recruit rejects, but I come from a perfectly functional home, thank you very much." Blue started to turn around and leave.

Maura stopped her, because she was standing behind Blue in the doorway. "What happened to your manners?"

The corner of Wymack's mouth twitched upwards. "No, she has a point. My recruiting standards are pretty well-known, and you're correct that you don't seem to fit the bill. But I've talked to Moore, and to your mother. You've had quite the year, haven't you, Blue?

Blue grimaced as she took her seat. No doubt Moore had told him all about the news headlines she had been in this year. If she was to be perfectly honest, it had been rough, and it had affected her and her playing. She nodded a bit. "Alright then. I'll sign if you offer me a scholarship."

"Blue!" her mother exclaimed, as Wymack raised his eyebrows.

"I'm not being rude, Mom. We both know I can't afford college without some help."

Maura sighed. "Yes, you've always been the sensible one."

Wymack had a calculating look on his face, as if he was mentally rewriting her backstory. It was a little too reminiscent of Calla, which made Blue very uncomfortable. What were the odds that she get recruited by yet another psychic? The expression passed and he slid a file across the desk toward Blue, who stared at it. It was a hideous shade of orange and it had her name scrawled across the front in some of the messiest handwriting she'd ever seen, and she'd tried to interpret Ronan's notes once or twice. "Well, then, here's the deal, short stuff. I've seen your stats. I've talked to your coach. And tonight I got to see you play in the biggest game of your year. Aglionby is Henrietta's biggest rival, right?" Blue snorted. With how much the everyday folk of Henrietta resented the wealth of Aglionby, a dramatic rivalry was inevitable. "You were in fine form tonight, and I know some college players that you could run circles around," Wymack huffed. "My striker handpicked you, and I think he made an excellent choice. If a full-ride is what you need to be able to come to Palmetto, I'm willing to pay it to get you there."

Blue turned to her mother to get her input. Maura had the far-away look that came during a reading when she was working extra hard to see the truth. She snapped back to attention and gave a small shrug, which told Blue that the earlier read still stood. This was just a choice. Not necessarily a good one, not necessarily a bad one, just an option that could be taken or left. Blue turned back toward the coach and stuck out her hand. "Deal." They shook, and he handed over some papers. "Thank you, Blue. Sign these and we will be in touch. Do you have any more questions? I'm hoping to catch some of those Aglionby boys before I go."

Blue froze while flipping through the papers, unsure if she had heard him right. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Run that by me again?"

Wymack snorted. "I'm just interested in a few of them. Aglionby is not the type of school I generally would recruit from," he said with a grimace, "but I'm between a rock and a hard place right now. The truth is, I have some seniors graduating next year, so I'm in desperate need of two dealers and a goalie. I've been to several other schools this week, but I haven't managed to sign anyone." He sighed. "Apparently they were already committed to another school or unwilling to deal with the reputation of the Foxes, and now I'm out of time. Spring break ends tomorrow and I need to go back to Palmetto, so I've got to take my opportunities here."

Blue considered that and looked at her watch, which had bands made of several colors of yarn braided together. "The game ended 30 minutes ago, so Gansey, Parrish, and Lynch are probably changed out and waiting by the front door. You can catch them while I go shower."

Wymack raised his eyebrows at that. "I was under the impression that you didn't have your mother's gifts."

"I don't," Blue replied, wondering just how much Wymack knew about her mother's reputation as a psychic. "It's just that Aglionby has a very small Exy team, since apparently upper society frowns upon violent sports." She rolled her eyes. "Those three are graduating seniors and play the positions you need." 

Wymack looked unconvinced. "Then how do you know they are at the front door?"

Blue shrugged. "I won today. They owe me pizza." She picked up her racket and walked to the door. "Good luck. I'm going to go shower." She slammed the door shut behind her.

Maura smiled softly at the noisy retreat and looked back at the coach. "It's nice to see you again, David."

"Likewise, Maura." David Wymack leaned back in his chair and smiled faintly. "I don't think I've seen you in a good twenty years, at least."

Maura snorted. "At least. I can't believe you swept your psychic abilities aside to play sports." Her expression softened. "I will admit, now, that you made the right choice."

"I would have been a terrible psychic," David stated. "Trying to impress people? Doing readings for entitled nonbelievers? Useless. Using my abilities to give my kids second chances?" His eyes lit up, and Maura didn't need her second sight to see his passion. "I make a real difference here."

Maura nodded. "You certainly do. So what exactly drew you to Blue?"

He scowled. "I didn't know she was yours, if that's what you're asking, nor did I know she was an amplifier. She's tied to something dark, something that happened recently. A death? Two?" He glanced at her, and she nodded confirmation. "I'm a bit foggy on the details, and I'm not sure that I can provide what she needs to heal, but I can at least open up some doors for her."

Maura laughed. "There's my Knight card." Wymack gave her a blank stare. "Do you have a place to go for dinner? Old friends are always welcome at 300 Fox Way."

"Fox way, you say?" He smirked. "I'm in." They stood, then, and looked at each other for a moment, passing unspoken secrets through the air between them. Satisfied with what they saw in each other, they left: David with a sense that his situation was resolved, and Maura with a promise that her Blue would be safe


	2. The Raven Boys

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wymack needs the Raven boys to sign, but they've got a few problems to solve first. Namely, Ronan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I finally read Call Down The Hawk, and I LOVED it, but. I wrote this fic before I read it. So none of CDTH applies.
> 
> Other currently relevant changes to canon: Aurora was not killed in Cabeswater. She and Opal left when things started to go haywire, and so she has existed at the Barns as a mindless dream thing ever since things went down with the demon.
> 
> No trigger warnings for this episode.

Fortunately for Wymack, the boys were, in fact, waiting by the front door. Unfortunately, Henry Cheng had joined them.

Henry noticed the coach’s approach and his jaw fell open. “Is that Coach Wymack?” he asked incredulously. “As in, Coach David Wymack of the Palmetto Foxes? Who learned Exy under Kaleigh Day? The coach of the team with the most incredible turnaround in NCAA Exy history?” He rocked on his heels, looking like he was either going to faint or jump through the roof in excitement.

Gansey put a hand on Henry's shoulder. "Easy there, man. Can we help you, Coach?" He asked in his most presidential voice.

Wymack's hackles rose a bit. That voice reeked of money and power, of authority and privilege, and went against everything the Foxes were. He could tell that it was a mask, and there was something decidedly off about this boy, but even so this boy in front of him was not the kind of kid he would choose to be a Fox. But, he was out of options now, and was going to have to make the best of it. He sighed. This was not going to be fun for him. "Yes, actually. I'd like to talk to the three of you, if you have a minute." He gave Henry a pointed look.

Henry had many faults, but an inability to take hints was not on the list. "I'll meet you guys at Ninos, then." Only Henry could be honestly described as waltzing away, but he did so whistling.

Wymack sighed just a tiny bit in relief before turning back to the three players. He appraised them for a minute, trying to figure out the best approach with them. 

The three of them painted an interesting picture together. Richard Campell Gansey the Third stood tall and polished, the picture-perfect product of his upbringing, presidential and almost imposing despite his age. Ronan Lynch was full of angles and edges, his strength and ferocity outlined in black. Adam Parrish was muted, somehow, as if half of him was far away or he was half asleep. Half asleep, Wymack decided, judging by the bags under his eyes.

He could feel a very strange aura surrounding the three of them. It whispered of forests, of magic, of beauty in creation and a threat of destruction. It was like nothing he had ever felt before, and he couldn’t determine which of the three it came from. Maybe it was all at once. Beneath it all, he could sense darkness within each one of the boys. They all had different shades of it, and they were all on the way to mending in their own way. He decided it would have to be enough. If he hadn’t sensed even a little bit of that, he would never have been able to bring himself to add them to his Foxes. That was his criteria, after all: he took broken people, those who needed a second chance. These boys may not all need him to get that second chance, but at least they were all broken.

Eventually Wymack resorted to his default style: gruff no-nonsense, straight to the point. "Here’s the thing, boys. I didn’t come here for the three of you, but I was impressed with what I saw. I’m in desperate need of two dealers and a goalie. Each of you can have a full-ride scholarship if you’ll sign to my team.”

Adam did not hesitate. “I’m in.”

Gansey and Ronan both looked at him in surprise. “What happened to Harvard?” Gansey asked.

“I didn’t get a scholarship,” Adam replied coolly. “Palmetto isn’t my first choice of school, but I’d get the chance to play more Exy, go to school for free, and not have to work.” He looked wistful. “I’ll be able to sleep.”

Ronan glared. “I’m not going with you.”

Gansey turned to him, eyes pleading. “But why not?”

“You know why. I have to stay here.” Ronan nodded towards Wymack to indicate why he wouldn’t go into more detail. “And I can’t leave Opal alone.” He stomped off.

Gansey looked chagrined, and then sighed. “May we have a night to think about it, Coach Wymack?” Wymack nodded. “We may be able to work something out for him. If I can convince him to sign, then I will too.”

“Well, I’ll be here until tomorrow morning.” He pulled out a blank sheet of paper from one of his files and wrote “300 Fox Way” on it before handing it to Gansey. “I’ll be visiting an old friend at this address, so you can stop by when you’re ready to sign.” Gansey read the paper and laughed, handing it to Adam, who also laughed. Wymack’s eyebrows rose. “Are you familiar with it?”

Gansey grinned. “Our good friend Blue lives there.”

Well, that explains a lot, thought Wymack.

****

The five of them finally convened at Ninos later that night. Henry had already ordered enough pizza and breadsticks for a small army by the time Gansey and Adam had arrived, and Ronan had probably eaten half of it himself.

“What took you so long?” asked Blue, in between bites. She was out of her jersey, wearing possibly 4 different shirts that had been stitched together into a dress before going through a woodchipper. “Wymack doesn’t talk that much.”

Gansey laughed. “I knew he was here to recruit you. You’re an excellent striker, and apparently he’s an old family friend. You’ve been holding out on us.”

Blue grimaced. “I’d never heard my mother mention him, but apparently they go way back.” She took another bite of pizza, chased it down with some soda, and then gave in. “I saw his face change when I walked into the room. He’s very clearly a psychic; that must be how they know each other.” She laughed then. “I will never be free of them, will I?”

“I hope not,” Adam muttered around his mouthful of pepperoni. Blue was a bit chagrined; she tended to forget that he was technically a psychic now too. 

“Sorry, Adam,” she said gently. “You know I don’t lump you in with the others. Anyway, I signed on. Full scholarship, five years. I think I might be able to study abroad in the summers if I work it out with Coach before hand. What about you guys?”

“We all have offers,” Gansey began.

“I signed with them,” Adam butted in. “And I know you want to. Ronan shot them down.”

All four of the others turned their attention to Ronan. “Spit it out,” Blue said. “Why did you say no?”

Ronan just glared at her, but he had never won a staredown with her yet, and this was not his chance to start. “I can’t control my dreams off the leyline,” he muttered. “It’d be dangerous for me to leave. And I can’t leave Opal by herself for that long. I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Blue nodded in understanding, and the table was silent for a moment. Gansey broke it. “I’m pretty sure Palmetto is on a leyline,” he mused. “I’m sure any leyline would work, not just this one.” He pulled his journal out of his pocket, and Ronan rolled his eyes.

“We already found Glendower. Do you still need to carry that fucking thing around?”

“Yes, Ronan,” Gansey replied with his ever-infinite patience. “Look. We will be right on the line.” He spun the book around so that the other at the table could look at the map. Blue reach out to trace the line that clearly passed through Palmetto. Henry grabbed her wrist and handed her a napkin before she could get grease on the book. 

Adam tilted his head to the side, his sign that he was thinking about what to say. “It may not be as strong as our leyline, but if it is it may work. I can do maintenance on it too.” He looked at Ronan for confirmation and got a glare in return. “That solves only half the problem, however.”

“I have an idea,” said Henry, who had been astonishingly quiet so far. The table looked at him in surprise. “You’ve been planning to revive Cabeswater, right, Ronan?” The dark boy nodded, eyes wary. “Dream it tonight. Your mom can stay there with Opal, and you can come back and visit every weekend that we don’t have a game. It’d be a long drive, but doable.”

Ronan nodded. “I will try tonight. I’ll need some help, maggot.” Blue nodded. “Adam?”

They looked at each other, Greywaren and Magician. To them, nobody else mattered in that moment. They could read each other in a way the others couldn’t, as if they moved to a rhythm no one else could hear. An unsettling grin spread across Ronan’s face at the same moment that Adam’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “I’m in,” Adam said.

Gansey grinned and then finally settled into the pizza. “Looks like we have a plan. Blue? You better call Fox Way.” 

Blue was already pulling her phone out of her pocket, and she laughed. “I’ll tell them I’ll be gone all night. Let’s do this.”

****

They gathered that night in the spot where the entrance to Cabeswater had been. Blue, ever the sensible one, had packed a few bags full of blankets so they wouldn’t freeze in the spring night. She'd also brought a few candles, a bowl, and a jug of grape juice for Adam to meditate with. 

The five of them set up the site quietly. Gansey and Henry's presence wasn't necessary, but at this point in their adventures it would have been beyond useless to ask them to sit out, so they'd joined under strict orders to be as quiet as they could be. It was a tall order for talkative Cheng, but the somber feel of the night finally got through to him.

Ronan had a makeshift bed set up, and Adam sat next to him. Between them was the candle, now lit, and a bowl full of grape juice. Blue settled herself there as well, and the three of them made a circle. Adam and Blue linked hands, and each rested a palm on Ronan's head, which made him curse. 

"Did you have a better plan?" Blue snapped. Ronan cursed again before shifting around so he could have both his hands free and within reach of the others. Ronan closed his eyes and Adam settled his gaze into the bowl.

After a few minutes it became clear to Henry that Adam was zoned out and Ronan was asleep, so he felt safe to whisper a bit to Gansey and Blue. "I know this was my idea," he started, "but do you think it will actually work? I'm still new to this aspect of everything."

Blue didn’t remove her gaze from Adam's face. "I'm not sure," she murmured, "but I think it's our best bet. I'd feel better if we all went to Palmetto together. I know Ronan can take care of himself, but he shouldn't have to. I don’t want to leave him alone." Henry shifted around uncomfortably. He didn’t want to be left behind either. He was the newest piece of the group, and it seemed like he would never quite fit in right. Perhaps it was because he was stepping into the shoes of a dead boy who he had never met. Perhaps it was just that he had missed the bulk of the drama. He was happy to be here, but sad that he didn’t feel like he would ever really belong.

Blue seemed to sense his thoughts, as she was wont to do. "You belong with us too, Henry, but you don’t need to give up Venezuela for us. You'll come back to us." She turned her head slightly so he could see her ghost of a smile. "And this way, I'll be able to afford to come visit you on spring break."

Henry smiled. "I'll hold you to that then." A silence stretched between them. "Though if it doesn't work-"

"It will work," Gansey declared. His voice was full of command. It was the voice that had woken the creatures in the cave, the voice that had demanded that Cabeswater give up Glendower. His voice seemed to ripple through the air, leaving Blue and Henry shivering in its wake. "It will work," he said again, "and it will be stronger than ever before."

At that instant Adam snapped his gaze up to Blue, eyes wild. "It's here." A bolt of lightning shot down from the cloudless sky, striking the ground right in the center of the group, and the world went white.

***

They hiked out of the forest in silence that night, hesitant to break the spell that had surrounded them. Their dream forest was back. It was not the same forest, with different trees and streams and animals, but it still spoke Latin. It recognized them all. Greywaren, Treedaughter, King, Magician. It even knew Henry, though none of them had a translation for the dream speak word that had been used.

It was still a place of beauty, and, as always, a place of dreams. The crowning gem had been the clearing where it always rained and the rain made you feel both happy and sad. 

Blue had cried, thinking of Noah and how much he would have loved it. She knew he was gone, knew deep in her heart that he had let go and moved on. He'd always understood her more than any of the others had. She knew it was a ghost thing. But she had understood him in return. She knew he had held on in fear- not for himself, but for his friends. For the life he had saved on the leyline 7 years ago. For the family he had created after death. He knew they were safe now, and so he had gone.

They arrived back at Monmouth as the sun went up, having silently agreed that they needed to be together. But before they could sleep, Blue borrowed Ronan's phone and called Fox Way. "Put Coach on the line," she told Orla. She looked at Ronan, eyebrow raised, and he glared back for awhile before grinning and nodding. "Hello, yes, Coach." She continued. "This is Blue. Ronan and Gansey are in. Leave the paperwork with my mother, they will send it in later. We are going to bed." She listened for awhile before handing the phone to Gansey.

"Hello," Gansey said, bringing out the President Cellphone voice. "Yes, we are both in. No, she didn’t bully us into it. We had to work something out together last night to make it possible for Ronan to join us. Yes, he is in too. No, he doesn’t want to talk to you," he told Coach without even asking Ronan, who grinned even wider, leaning back on the couch. "See you in July then." He hung up. "Guess that's it then." He grinned. "We're going to Palmetto." Blue and Henry cheered, waking up Adam who had already passed out on the couch. Ronan grabbed Adam and dragged him toward his room. Blue went to Noah's old room, leaving Gansey and Henry alone in the front room together.

Gansey looked at Henry for a moment before reaching out and clasping him on the shoulder. "I wish you were coming with us."

Henry shook his head and tried to smile, but it was obviously an effort. "You won’t be rid of me forever," he said. “I’ll miss you, but I can afford to come visit. And I’ll be there next year, if not in the spring.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Gansey relaxed. It just wouldn’t be right until they were all together again, but for now this was good enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still pretty new to this writing thing so I am still overwhelmed by the fact that I am getting kudos on this. Love y'all. Feel free to scream about this with me in the comments. Comments make me want to write faster :D


	3. Introducing Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue meets the first of the Foxes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: very vague references to Renee's past.
> 
> This chapter is the first with any of the Foxes. You know what the Foxes are known for? Betting! So! I have a challenge/invitation for y'all. What do you think the Foxes are betting on? In this chapter and on future ones, feel free to leave a bet in the comments. It can be related to the plotline or just be nonsensical side stuff, all the Foxes or just two or three. If I am able to, I'll try to incorporate it. Just let me know who is betting on what side.

Renee smoothed her skirt and fiddled with the cross around her neck. She was waiting in the base of Fox Tower because she had been chosen to meet the new striker first. Apparently she was the friendly face on the team, which she still found amusing. She worked very hard to be a good person, but that didn't change the fact that she was far more dangerous than either Dan or Allison. It was always nice to hear that she didn't appear that way at first glance.

She could hear Wymack's booming voice even before the door opened. "Welcome to Fox Tower," he was saying. Coming in the door behind him was one of the strangest looking girls Renee had ever seen. She was tiny, possibly shorter than Andrew, with dark skin and spiky black hair that had clips thrown in seemingly at random. Her jeans looked like they had been bleached, dyed bright yellow, and then patched over with a rainbow of different fabrics. Her shirt was made of the leftover scraps of fabric. Renee smiled; Allison was going to have a fit.

Coach continued to explain that the girl would be rooming with three teammates as they crossed the lobby to where Renee was standing. "This is Renee Walker," he said. "She's going to show you around."

The girl extended her hand for a handshake. "I'm Blue Sargent. It's very nice to meet you."

Getting a friendly teammate was an odd experience for Renee but she certainly wasn't going to complain about it. "It's nice to meet you too, Blue. Welcome to the Foxes."

Wymack grunted, "She's yours now," before turning around to leave the Tower. As he opened the door, he called back to them. "Don't forget to meet at the court at 5 tonight." He didn't wait for a response before leaving.

Renee turned back to Blue. "Would you like a tour first or would you rather settle right in? We can take your stuff up to the room so you can move in before the other two girls get here."

"Moving in first would be great," Blue said. "I've never lived away from home, and I've never had a roommate." She fiddled with a hair clip. "I figure it can't be too much crazier than my crowded house, but it's definitely going to be different."

Renee tried to smile warmly. She really liked this girl and wanted to put her at ease, even though it still felt unnatural at times to be friendly. "Let's go up, then," she agreed. She looked around for a moment, realizing suddenly that Blue was only carrying a backpack. "Do you have more bags you need to grab?"

"Yes, I do. Mr. Gray kept them in the car so I wouldn't have to carry them around. He should be just outside." They started towards the door.

"Who is Mr. Gray?"

"He's my mom's boyfriend," Blue replied, as they left the Tower. "They haven't been dating long, but I think they're getting serious. He's the first real relationship my mom has been in since my dad, actually. He drove me up today because there was no way both me and Gansey would fit our stuff in the trunk of my car, so Gansey is bringing it up for me later today." They rounded the building and could finally see the parking lot. "Oh, that's him by the gray car." Blue chuckled. "He kind of has a theme going on.

Renee looked to where Blue had pointed and her eyes widened. Beside a nondescript gray car was a man in a nondescript gray suit. He looked purposefully unremarkable, like he would prefer nothing more than not being noticed. Renee knew better. It was in his stance, relaxed but ready to pounce. It was in his eyes and the way they tracked every bit of movement. This man was a trained killer. Renee strained to keep her calm, harmless demeanor, feeling his eyes weighing every inch of her to determine whether she was a threat. She reminded herself that this man was Blue's friend, and was probably safe.

"We are going to move in now," Blue told him happily.

Mr. Gray smiled, softening his hard face by a respectable amount. Renee breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Then let's get your things upstairs," he replied. He opened up the trunk and pulled out suitcase after suitcase, and duffel bag after duffel bag. Renee had to laugh then. This was reminding her a little too much of Allison.

They divided up the bags between the three of them and gradually made their way up to the sixth floor. Renee used the walk to tell Blue all about the Tower and what to expect from living with roommates. It had been quite the adjustment at first when none of the girls had gotten along, but nowadays they had it down to a system, and Renee was confident that they would be able to slot in one more person without too much trouble. Blue was hopeful for the same.

Renee pulled out her key ring and opened the door. "Here we are, home sweet home." It was a small living room area with two doors leading out. Through one door was a kitchen, and through the other was a bedroom with two sets of bunk beds. "You can take either the bottom or top bunk, as long as you are on the left side of the bedroom." Renee smoothed her skirt nervously. It had taken her awhile to feel safe sleeping in a room with other people, even though she had had half of the room to herself. Hopefully she was healed enough now that hearing sounds directly above or below herself would not startle her too badly. And Andrew had her knives, so they wouldn't be an issue.

"I'll take the top bunk," Blue said cheerfully. "I've always wanted a lofted bed." She picked through the bags that had been dumped on the living room floor, finally grabbing a tattered blue duffel bag before heading for the bedroom. "Let's get started!"

******

Eventually all was unpacked and Mr. Gray had taken most of the empty bags down to the car, promising to come back with dinner. All that remained was a single duffel bag which had been shoved haphazardly into a drawer. Blue had decorated her bunk and desk, as well as part of the wall on their side of the room. She had asked Renee for permission, and Renee had granted it despite knowing that Allison wouldn't be happy about changing the decorating plan. She quite liked Blue's decor. There were fabric trees on the wall and fairy lights above the bed. Renee assumed that was what they were, anyway. She'd been busy with her own unpacking while Blue had decorated, but she was fairly certain they were not plugged in anywhere, and there wasn't any spot on the wire large enough to hold a battery. A mystery.

Blue had also placed some strange symbols in various out-of-sight places. They went under her mattress, inside a cupboard, folded above a door frame. "My mom and aunts are psychics," she had explained, "and they insisted I bring some protective spells with me when I left the house." She grimaced. "Mom wanted to come put them up herself, but Mr. Gray helped me talk her out of it."

"Why didn't you want her to come?"

"Blue shrugged. "I've been 'the psychic's daughter' all my life, and for once I just want to be Blue Sargent. I know y'all will think I'm strange, and I'm happy with that. I just want to be strange because _I_ am strange, not because my mother is."

Renee thought about that for a moment. "Was it a hard life?" Blue blinked at her. "Being the psychic's daughter, I mean. You don't seem to fit the Fox stereotype, but Wymack wouldn't have recruited you if there wasn't something there."

Blue laughed. "You mean the stereotype of a broken home? I was pretty offended when Coach showed up because of that. I have a good home and a good family. It was difficult to find friends, but I think that would have been true no matter who my mother was." The smile suddenly wiped from Blue's face. "I am broken, though. It's just in a different way."

There wasn't a tactful way to respond to that, but Renee was saved by the door bursting open.

"Hello Renee!" It was Dan, all smiles and confidence as she swept into the room and extended a hand to Blue. "You must be Blue! Welcome to the team! It's nice to have another female face around. We need someone sensible to balance out these boys."

Blue laughed, and Renee could already tell these two would get along nicely. "I'm nothing if not sensible, and it'll be nice to have some female friends. It's just been me and the Raven boys for too long now."

"Raven boys??" Dan and Renee exclaimed in unison.

Blue looked confused but understanding quickly crossed her face. "Not those Ravens!" She looked chagrined. "My friends went to a rival school and their mascot was also the Ravens. So I called them my Raven boys. I think I'm going to figure out a new nickname."

At this point the door opened again. "Hey babe," Matt said. He walked in and gave Dan a big hug. "You must be the new striker. Blue, right?" She nodded and he grinned back at her. "Is that orange monstrosity really your car?"

Blue lit up. "Gansey is here?" Right on cue, somebody knocked on the door extremely politely. "Gansey!!" She threw open the door and leaped into the arms of a brown haired boy several inches taller than her. He spun her around as she laughed, but he froze when he noticed the others in the room. Renee watched as the all-American boy transformed in the blink of an eye, suddenly becoming authoritative and presidential. It seemed to be a trick of the face and posture. It was very effective, and Renee did /not/ like it.

"Hello, I'm Gansey," he said. He approached Dan first and extended his hand to shake hers. "You must be Danielle Wilds, team captain." At least he was polite.

Dan seemed thrown by the formality and respect. "You can call me Dan," she said. "Gansey? That's an unusual name."

He laughed. "It's my surname. I'm Richard Campbell Gansey the Third, and that name is just _too much_." He moved on to shake Matt's hand and then Renee's. "I'm looking forward to playing with all of you." He turned to Blue. "Are you all unpacked? I could use a hand. Also, here are your keys." He handed over a key ring adorned with two keys and several key chains of varying materials and design.

Blue smiled. "Start bringing things up. I'll be right down." Gansey nodded and left. Renee handed her a key to the dorm, and she added it to the ring.

"So..." Matt began. "Are you two dating?"

"Yup," she replied, popping the p.

"Is he always so..." Dan started.

"Obnoxious? Pretentious? Presidential? Bossy?" Dan laughed at Blue's annoyed expression. "Depends. It took me a bit too long to get past that face." She smiled softly. "It was worth the effort in the end, even if he really pissed me off at first. Anyway, I better go help him." She turned and left the room.

Dan turned to Matt. "What do you think it will take to get Mr. President to thaw out?"

Matt grinned. "My money is on Andrew scaring him half to death."

Dan laughed. "I don't want Andrew to do that, but I think you're right."

"I think he just needs time to trust us," Renee said. "After some practices and movie nights I bet he will warm right up to us."

"Twenty dollars says you're wrong," Dan said.

"I'll match it," said Matt.

Renee smiled, "Consider it a bet."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'll be super excited if you leave a bet in the comments!


	4. Featuring Mr Gray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil runs into an unexpectedly familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've mostly tried to keep a consistent POV in each chapter, but I liked how I set this chapter up. Hope it's not confusing. I had a lot of fun writing this bit!
> 
> CWs: Neil has a panic attack. Also Andrew draws a knife (no blood)

Blue closed the door gently behind her as she left the dorm, breathing a sigh of relief. She liked Renee so far, and Dan and Matt both seemed very nice, but today was going to be a lot of change at once and she was relieved to have Gansey here with her. She did hope, however, that he had decided not to bring his model town of Henrietta. She’d managed to talk him out of it before she had left, but he had a tendency to return to his impractical ways when she wasn’t around to make him be sensible. She started toward the elevator just in time for it to open, revealing Mr. Gray.

“I’m back,” he said as he spotted her, holding up a ridiculous number of takeout bags. “I’ve got enough Chinese for you, the boys, and a couple of roommates.”

A door opened just as Blue walked past, revealing a tall boy with Hispanic features. “Did somebody say Chinese?”

He was quickly shoved into the hallway and followed out by a short blond boy. “Move it, Nicky. I want to go find Katelyn.”

“Don’t be rude, Aaron,” Nicky said. He looked at Blue. “Hi! Are you one of the new Foxes?”

“Yes, I’m Blue,” she replied. “Blue Sargent.” She reached out for her customary handshake. “I’m the new striker.”

Nicky’s already happy face lit up even more, if that was possible. He shook her hand excitedly as Mr. Gray reached them, and Aaron entered the elevator. “It’s good to meet you! Neil’s going to be excited. He picked you himself, you know.” He turned and knocked on the door adjacent to his own. After a pause he knocked again. “Neil! I know you’re in there!”

The door swung open to reveal a copy of Aaron with a blank face and armbands. “Nicky.”

“Oh, hi, Andrew.” Nicky peered over the short boy’s head. “Hey, Neil! Your new striker is here!”

Andrew rolled his eyes and stepped to the side just in time for a redheaded boy to barrel out of the doorway. “She’s here?” Neil spotted Blue and smiled. Then he froze. He had noticed the man standing next to her. “Mr. Gray.”

“Hello, Junior.”

Several things happened in the next few seconds. 

Neil’s face paled and a look of pure terror crossed it. He turned and started to run. Andrew grabbed his arm and pushed him into the bedroom. By the time Nicky had finished saying, “What the /fuck/” Andrew had drawn a knife and shoved Mr. Gray into the wall. Before any damage could be done, he stopped, and the knife clattered to the floor. Blue was holding his wrist in what she knew appeared to be a delicate and intimate way. In reality, she had targeted some pressure points in his wrist that had forced him to drop his knife. He stared at her, clearly shocked that he had been disarmed. Before he could turn on her or draw another knife, she dropped his wrist and took a small step back. “Let’s not threaten my stepfather,” she said quietly.

“I’m not your stepfather, Blue.”

She shrugged. “Close enough. Less arguing, more explaining.”

Mr. Gray sighed. “I worked for the kid’s father several years ago. Before Greenmantle.”

“What. The. Actual. Fuck.”

“Shut up, Nicky,” said Andrew. “You worked for the Butcher?”

Blue was very grateful that the hallway was still empty.

“Several years ago. I left their organization shortly after the boy and his mother ran off. We had… a disagreement.”

“He’s retired now,” Blue added helpfully.

*******

Matt and Dan had just hashed out the details of a bet when they heard loud noises from the hallway. Matt brushed it off as moving drama right up until he heard Nicky yelling, “What the _fuck _.”__

__He looked at Dan, who raised an eyebrow right back at him. “Should we check out what that is about?”_ _

__Matt shrugged. “It’s probably fine.”_ _

__“What. The. Actual. Fuck.”_ _

__He sighed. “Okay, I’ll make sure everyone is alive.”_ _

__Dan pretended to swoon. “My hero!” He laughed as he stood up, and moved to pop his head out of the doorway._ _

__He blinked. _What the literal fuck _was right.___ _

____The new striker girl was standing almost toe to toe with Andrew. They were an interesting picture, that way. She was slightly shorter, though her hair more than made up the difference. She was decked out in a crazy rainbow of an outfit, and he was dressed all in black. Nicky and some man in a gray suit were watching the two of them, the former one shocked and the second one intent. There was a knife on the floor between them, and they had identical murderous expressions on their faces._ _ _ _

____It looked like Dan owed him twenty dollars._ _ _ _

____“What’s going on, guys?” he asked. “Andrew, did you-”_ _ _ _

____The girl waved him off. “It’s alright, Matt. We have it settled.”_ _ _ _

____“But-”_ _ _ _

____She interrupted him. “This will not be a problem.” That seemed to be directed at Andrew rather than him. The blond boy gave the barest of nods and his face relaxed back into its unsettling blankness._ _ _ _

____Well, he was going to have to take her word for it, especially since the monster was apparently backing down. He closed the door and moved back to the couch with Dan._ _ _ _

____“What was that?” she asked._ _ _ _

____“I have no idea.”_ _ _ _

____****_ _ _ _

____Blue continued to stare Andrew down. She hadn’t ever lost a staring match with Ronan, and this boy didn’t even have the advantage of height over her. There was no way she was backing down, but she knew she owed him for this scare._ _ _ _

____“What do you need from me?” He blinked, which was the most reaction she had seen from him yet. “To prove that this isn’t going to be a problem.”_ _ _ _

____He didn’t skip a beat. “Come with us to Columbia on Friday.”_ _ _ _

____She nodded. “I’ll be there.” Andrew retreated to the bedroom._ _ _ _

____After an awkward pause, Nicky spoke, making Blue jump. She had forgotten he was there. “Can I ask a question?”_ _ _ _

____“Only if it’s related to Chinese food,” Blue replied. “I’m sure I’ll end up explaining the rest later. Also, please don’t tell anyone about this.”_ _ _ _

____“You can buy my silence with egg rolls,” Nicky replied._ _ _ _

____Blue smiled. “I’m sure that will be useful information.” She took a few bags from Mr. Gray and led the way back to the girl’s dorm._ _ _ _

____Matt was speaking. “-to Columbia,” he was saying. He cut off suddenly as the door opened, looking very guilty._ _ _ _

____“We’ve got Chinese,” Blue said, eyeing them warily._ _ _ _

____“You will not BELIEVE what just- AAHH!” Nicky was stopped by a package of egg rolls which Blue had forcefully and accurately thrown at his face._ _ _ _

____“Silence for egg rolls!”_ _ _ _

____“Okay, Okay!” he exclaimed, pickup up the package. Out of the corner of her eye, Blue saw him mouth _she’s scary _at the others. That was fine. It looked like she would need a reputation to survive with this lot.___ _ _ _

______“Enjoy, y’all. I’m going to go find Gansey now.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______****_ _ _ _ _ _

______Neil was desperately packing his duffle bag. His heart was pounding and his brain was calculating escape routes and his mother’s voice was telling him to _run, Abram, run _and he had too much stuff to fit in his bag and -___ _ _ _ _ _

________He was brought to a halt by a familiar hand on the back of his neck. "No running, little rabbit."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Neil sat down on the bottom bunk and drew his legs up to his chest. Andrew kept his hand in place, staring at Neil, and he started to breathe again. They sat there for awhile, until Neil's brain slowed and left the panic loop._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Neil started to talk. He and Andrew rarely played their truth for a truth game these days. Somehow it was okay, now, to share what needed to be shared._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Mr. Gray was the deadliest of the hit men," Neil began._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Neil." It meant _are you sure. _____ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He looked Andrew in the eye and continued. "My father preferred the crazy kind, the ones like Lola and Roman. Mr. Gray was not like them. He was deadlier, but to him it was a job, not a life."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Andrew nodded. "He won’t be a problem," he said with all the certainty in the world._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Neil nodded back. "He won’t. He had no loyalty to my father."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Then stay, rabbit."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Neil shrugged. "I'm not running anymore."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________They sat in silence, the silence that was never awkward between them. It was a silence of understanding, the silence of home, of knowing where they stood and where they were going._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________After a few minutes Andrew spoke. "She is coming to Columbia."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Neil's eyes flashed to Andrew's. "No drugs." Andrew regarded him blankly for a moment, and Neil could tell he didn't understand. "The Moriyamas are not our problem. She is a puzzle, not a danger." He paused. "I'm not risking breaking up the team before we have had a chance to come together."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________"Fucking junkie." Andrew poked Neil's cheek to turn his face away as Neil smiled. He'd won. "We go on Friday."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bets featured in this chapter:  
> Matt bet Dan that Blue was fierce enough to not be easily intimidated by Andrew.  
> Matt, Renee, and Dan have bet on how long it will take Blue to be invited to Columbia. (Nicky is about to confirm Renee's win off-screen. Even egg rolls will not actually buy his silence.)
> 
> Leave me more bets in the comments! They give me life!


	5. Testing the Leyline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gangsey finishes moving into Fox Tower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently learned that canonically, the Gangsey has lost all of their memories of Noah. That leaves me with just one question for Maggie dearest: How dare you?????????

Ronan watched Adam sleep from the corner of his eye as he drove. Adam had spent much of his time catching up on lost sleep at the Barns this summer, and had developed a habit of falling asleep at any chance he got. Ronan figured that years of sleepless nights would take years to catch up on. He didn’t mind it, really. Adam was so beautiful asleep, with those high cheekbones and slender fingers, almost delicate and ethereal. How Ronan had won a love from such a man, he still wasn’t sure, and he was afraid, sometimes, that it would burn him alive.

Ronan nudged him as they passed the road sign for Palmetto. Adam opened his eyes, and looked at Ronan, and it was new all over again.

This love would burn him, all right, but he didn’t mind the flames.

“We’re almost there,” Adam observed, looking out the window. Campus was just off the freeway, and the next exit took them straight to it. Fox Tower was only a few turns away. They arrived, pulling into a parking spot next to the Pig as Gansey unloaded boxes. He looked up, smiling as they got out. 

“Parrish! Lynch! You’re just in time!” Gansey said. “Blue is on her way down to help us, since she is already moved in.”

“Waiting for her to come do the heavy lifting for you?” Ronan jabbed. Adam laughed as Gansey pouted.

“I can do my own heavy lifting, thank you! I was hoping she would help me decorate the dorm.”

“What do you mean, help _you _decorate the dorm?” Ronan asked.__

__“What do you mean?” Gansey looked very confused._ _

__Adam gave him a stern look and answered the question. “Monmouth was yours to decorate. Fox Tower is ours. That means we get as much say in decorating as you do.” Gansey opened his mouth and Adam cut him off. “We do this together, as equals.”_ _

__Gansey nodded slowly. Considering the conversation over, Ronan moved to the backseat and unbuckled Chainsaw from her harness. She had been surprisingly quiet on the drive over, but that was never a guarantee for her, and so Ronan kept her tied to the seatbelt to prevent any road incidents sparked by a flying bird in the vehicle._ _

__Chainsaw immediately took the air, calling _Kerah, kerah _as she began to explore her new surroundings. After a few quick laps around the tower, she settled on Ronan’s shoulder just as the front door of the Tower opened, revealing Blue.___ _

____Blue walked over to them. _Walking _wasn’t something that Ronan would often describe Blue as doing. Generally she was _pacing _, or _striding _, or _stalking _. Walking was a bit too tame for her. Something had upset her, but drawing attention to it was the worst way to get information out of her. Also, it would ruin Ronan’s terrifying image._________ _ _ _

____________“Hey, maggot, come to make yourself useful?” She laughed as he handed her the largest box from Gansey’s trunk. She was so small she couldn’t see over the top of it, but she hefted it like it was nothing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Is that the best you’ve got, asshole?” There. Blue was back to herself, at least for a little bit. Ronan gave her a ferocious grin as he put another box on top of the one she was already carrying._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Adam stacked two of the smaller boxes and picked them up. They were full of books and probably the heaviest things there. “Don’t hurt yourself, Parrish,” Ronan drawled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Adam just gave him that _look _and turned to Blue. “You’ve been here a bit, can you lead the way?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________As they started into Fox Tower, Adam called back. “Grab the small box first, Lynch!”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Ronan growled and put the suitcase back, grabbing the small box instead._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Why does it matter?” asked Gansey. “Isn’t it all going upstairs anyway?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Ronan didn’t bother replying. He hauled the box of dreamstuff into the Tower and up the stairs behind Blue and Adam, Gansey in tow with suitcases and Chainsaw still on his shoulder. Blue was telling Adam about how she had decorated her part of the room, and some of her observations of the new teammates. He tuned it out, concentrating instead on the muscles in Adam’s back, his soft hair and quiet laughter. As they arrived at the right room, Blue pointed out her room just two doors down. They opened the door (Gansey had handed Blue they key) and walked into a very blank living room. As Gansey closed the door behind them, Ronan shoved his small box into Adam’s recently-vacated arms. “Here’s your precious plants, Parrish. I need a nap.” Adam looked at him, head slightly tilted to one side. A silent question. He sneered back in a silent answer and continued on his way. Now was the true test of the Palmetto leyline, and he needed to do it alone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Ronan didn’t bother to shut the door to the bedroom. Chainsaw hopped from his shoulder to the bedpost, and then started to explore the room. There was a set of bunk beds and one lone bed on the other side of the room. He took the lone bed, knowing it was the safest option should he dream something unintentional. He laid down and relaxed as he heard Adam and Gansey arguing about where stuff should be placed in the living room._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Do we really need so many plants, Adam? They take up so much space.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“They’re more useful than your Glendower papers are now,” Adam replied. Fuck, Ronan liked this confident version of Adam. “Also, if you brought your little Henrietta please do NOT put it near the window, I need that spot.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Oh no, Gansey,” Blue laughed. “Where are you going to put little Henrietta?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I left it at Monmouth, Jane.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Oh thank god,” Adam and Blue said in chorus. Ronan drifted to sleep to faint chirps of _kerah _as they started to squabble over how the cupboards would be arranged.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________He didn’t dream of a forest today. He was standing on a short cliff, looking down at a fast-moving river. The other bank of the river was a flat plain, giving a good view of the many switchbacks and curves in the more distant parts of the river. The cliff went all along this edge, but it was not sheer, and stout trees grew out of the side of it. Ronan walked along the cliff until he came to a dip, an almost-trail, leading down to the river, and descended._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________The water changed as he approached, not uncommon for a dream. It went from a deep greenish blue to completely transparent, as if there was no water at all. Ronan picked up a rock and launched it into the river. It splashed, and ripples of silver spread back to the edge on which he stood._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________This was not Cabeswater, but it had the same feeling of home, and Ronan knew what he needed to do._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________He took a step._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________The water was warm and soothing, cleansing his feet. He didn’t have shoes anymore, which was as it should be. He took more steps, the water remaining clear as ever, now without even ripples to distort the riverbed below him. He whispered to the water, /show me what I need. Something for Blue. Something to make this home for her./ He took another step, and then he saw it below him in the river. It was perfect. He dove in a pried it from underneath a rock, then sat down on the riverbed to look at it. Breathing was not an issue here._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________He woke, frozen to his bed as always. He could feel the smooth wood of a picture frame beneath his fingers. Fuck, he was cold. He’d forgotten to get out of the water before waking himself up, and he was soaked to the bone. Even his socks were wet, though his shoes were dry. Go figure._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________He slammed his feet onto the floor and stomped back to the living room. He saw everyone freeze and turn towards him as he entered. Adam had his plants spread in the various corners, and Blue had set up a trellis so the viney one could stretch itself across the wall. Gansey was putting pots in the cupboard, and Ronan noted that they were a mix of Adam’s shitty stuff from thrift stores and new stuff which Gansey had obviously procured. He would have to go through the kitchen later and see what was missing so he could dream it up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Catch, maggot.” He tossed the picture at her head and stomped off to the bathroom to take a warm shower. Fuck, he was going to have to be careful to dry off if he ended up dreaming the river again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________*****_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Blue caught the flying object out of reflex as Ronan stomped off. The bathroom door slammed shut behind him. Turning to the others, she asked, “Do you think the leyline is strong enough for him?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Adam smiled softly, still looking at the space Ronan had just occupied. “I think if it wasn’t, he wouldn’t have had that for you.” He eyed the object in her hand._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“I’m rather concerned about him being soaking wet,” Gansey interjected._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Adam shrugged. “He was probably underwater when he woke himself up. It’s happened before, though rarely. It always pisses him off.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Blue was delighted. “And you would know this, how, exactly?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Adam glared at her. “What did he give you?” he asked, ignoring the question._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Oh, right. Blue looked at the thing she had caught. It was a picture in a frame that felt wooden under her fingers but seemed to actually be made of silver. It seemed to be a traditional photo, at first, but then it was an oil painting, and then watercolor, before shifting to a pencil sketch and back to a photo. It featured her and all her Raven boys. She was in the center, with Noah on one side, arm over her shoulder, and Gansey on the other side holding her hand. Beyond Gansey was Henry striking a wild dance pose. Adam and Ronan were on the other side of Noah, standing shoulder to shoulder and leaning on each other a bit. Behind them was the Pig, and beyond it was Cabeswater. It was perfect._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Noah. She missed him so much._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________At Gansey’s questioning look, she handed it over. Adam peered at it over his shoulder, and they were both obviously touched._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Gansey stared at it a little too long, transfixed. The smell of warm earth and leaves filled the room, and Blue saw shadows of tree branches in the corners of her vision. Gansey was still as a statue, looking very /otherly/ at that moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Earth to Gansey,” Adam said, plucking the picture from his fingers, and the tree branches seemed to /snap/ away as Gansey came back to himself._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“Oh, my apologies,” he said. “When are we, Jane?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“It’s our first day in Palmetto, it’s 4 o’clock, and we should probably start making our way to the court for our first official team meeting.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________Gansey nodded. "Then we will go as soon as Ronan joins us."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Gansey has some weird things going on. I'd love to hear your theories on what it might be.
> 
> I'm going to be exploring some things with Adam's powers in future chapters. He doesn't have his connection to Cabeswater, but he's been honing his talents in other ways!
> 
> I love writing this story, guys. Thanks for being here. Come yell at me on tumblr @100storiesin2020


	6. The First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we finally have the whole Gangsey and all the Foxes in the same room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter, to my knowledge.

Blue anxiously followed Renee into the Foxhole stadium. Renee had come by the Raven boys' dorm at 4:30, offering to ride along to give directions and open up the building for them. She had sat in the backseat with Ronan and Adam, and had surprisingly hit it off with Ronan. Or perhaps it wasn't surprising, with that cross around her neck. Blue was still nervous, though. She was about to meet the whole team of Foxes. These were people that she would be playing with, expected to get along with, spending a lot of time with, perhaps even be friends with.

She hadn't had much practice with friendship yet.

Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallways. Renee was ahead of her, softly speaking with Ronan about local churches. "I know of at least one Catholic church in walking distance, and others in town," she was saying. Behind her Gansey and Adam were bickering about who would buy a toaster for their dorm. They probably didn't realize Ronan would just dream one up for them. Maybe she could talk him into making it orange.

They reached a door, which Renee opened, and the five of them filed in. Everyone else had already arrived. Blue checked her watch to make sure they weren't late, and saw that they were actually five minutes early.

This must be the team lounge, she thought. It wasn't a large room, and the three couches and two chairs made it positively cramped. On the left hand side, Andrew sat next to Neil, the third spot on the couch filled by a dark haired boy who could be no other than Kevin Day. Then there was a chair with Andrew's twin, Aaron. Nicky, Matt, and Dan were sitting on the middle couch. The chair next to them was occupied by a beautiful blond girl who Blue immediately disliked (who needs perfectly curled hair for a sports team meeting?). The third couch was empty.

Gansey immediately strode across the room for Kevin, extending his hand. "Hello! I'm Gansey. You're Kevin Day, right?"

Kevin stood and shook his hand, a perfect plastic smile in place. "That's me. Welcome to the team."

Gansey beamed. "Well thank you! You're a history major, right?"

Kevin kept the plastic composure despite seeming surprised. "Yes, I am."

"Then tell me, Kevin Day. What do you know about Welsh kings?"

Blue rolled her eyes as Kevin Day, Famous Exy Player Extraordinare, launched into a passionate speech about the Celtic countries and languages. Based on the startled looks from most of the other Foxes (Neil and Andrew were unfazed), this wasn't a common occurrence. She noticed Renee giving Matt and Dan a significant look before crossing the room to talk to Andrew. Blue stood there for a moment, unsure what to do with herself, but Ronan had no such inhibitions. He stalked over to the empty couch and sprawled across it like he owned the whole thing.

Adam and Blue smirked at each other before joining Ronan at the couch. Adam pushed Ronan's legs over the side, making room for him to sit. Blue didn't bother. She sat directly on his stomach. This forced a loud grunt out of Ronan before he shoved her off. "Fuck off, maggot." Blue laughed again as Ronan sat up straight, leaving her a proper place on the side of the couch.

As she sat, Nicky grinned at her. "Hi Blue!" he exclaimed. He turned to Adam and Ronan and waggled his eyebrows. "And welcome to the team, hotties!"

Adam, who had been sipping from a water bottle, began to splutter. Ronan thumped him on the back, making everything worse as Adam wheezed and turned red. He finally caught his breath. "Hello to you too..." he trailed off.

"I'm Nicky Hemmick! Sorry to startle you. But you two are both seriously hot."

"I'm going to tell Erik you're flirting again," Aaron warned.

Nicky waved him off. "He knows I love him. Anyway, I'm a backliner and the resident gay icon. Who are you guys?"

Adam and Ronan looked at each other for a quick moment, having one of those exchanges that Blue still didn't know how to read. Adam turned to Nicky first while Ronan glowered. "I'm Adam Parrish, offensive dealer."

"Ronan Lynch, goalie."

Nicky whistled. "You look like you eat babies for breakfast, man."

Blue snorted. "You should see him with his pet raven on his shoulder. It really completes the aesthetic."

This drew the attention of everyone besides Kevin and Gansey, who were still avidly discussing history. "A pet raven, huh?" asked Dan. 

Ronan didn't respond. He gave Nicky one of his unsettling, menacing grins. "I don't generally eat babies for breakfast, but one of these days I may make an exception." He leaned forward, making an obvious threat.

Nicky looked terrified. "Oh, okay, cool cool, okay, nice to meet you, I think I'll let these guys introduce themselves." Nicky turned and tried to insert himself into the history conversation, which clearly went over his head. Blue laughed.

"If you find Nicky amusing, then maybe your sense of humor is better than your fashion sense," said the tall blond. 

"Excuse me?" asked Blue. "Do you have a problem with my clothes, princess?"

"Well, yeah. You look like a rainbow vomited all over you, and not the way that Nicky usually does."

Blue spluttered. "Just because I don't buy into the patriarchy's dictation of how I should present myself -" she began heatedly, but she was cut off when Ronan stomped on her foot and Renee plopped in to Allison's lap.

"Blue, this is my girlfriend, Allison." Renee gave Allison a soft, but disappointed, look. "She is one of our roommates and I am hoping that you two will get along."

Blue glared at Allison, and if looks could kill they would both be dead. Renee cleared her throat. Allison sighed, seemingly quelled for now, and moved on to the next person on the bench. "So how about you, scary boy? Lynch, was it? You sure have a menacing grin."

Ronan gave her one of those grins. "Is that right?"

"Yeah. It's even creepier than Andrew's lack of emotion, which is saying something."

He scanned the other seats. "We're referring to the midget with the arm bands?" he drawled. Andrew looked back with apparent unfeeling, but Blue wasn't fooled. He'd been watching them this whole time so far, categorizing every move they made, probably weighing them to figure out how much of a threat they may be. She wondered if he thought Ronan was more dangerous than her, or less so.

Blue snorted. "You should know. Hasn't Gansey read you all his notes yet?"

"What notes?" Dan asked.

"Gansey really likes to make detailed notebooks," Adam said.

"He's a major nerd who likes to research anything important to him," Blue added. "You should see the journal. It's a work of art."

"Hey, Dick!" Ronan called, making Gansey wince a bit. "Where's the notebook?"

"Oh, I've got it right here," Gansey said, pulling it out of his backpack. He always carried a backpack these days. He handed the notebook to Ronan, who passed it to Blue, who passed it to Dan.

Dan opened it up and flipped gently through the pages. She turned so that Renee and Allison could see without moving, and Nicky and Matt peered over her shoulder. "You weren't kidding," she said. "This has our heights, our majors, our particular strengths on the court." Andrew stood up from his couch and came behind them as she continued to turn the pages. "Look, it's got newspaper clippings. He's highlighted some comments. Oh, this is the time Neil roasted that reporter."

"Interesting," Andrew drawled, startling everybody on the couch. "Your stalker binder wasn't nearly this pretty, Neil."

Neil laughed and came over to see. "It wasn't intended to be pretty."

Kevin and Gansey finally wandered over, and Dan handed the journal to Kevin. Kevin flipped to the section on himself, of course. Blue knew that it contained official stats, details of the chess piece tattoo, evidence for Kevin's implication that Riko Moriyama broke his hand, and Gansey's own observations of Kevin's playing style. "It says here," Kevin said, "that you think I'm too predictable with my shots."

"I did the math. You aim for the same place about 75% of the time. It's always-"

"The top right corner," Andrew finished, drawing looks from everyone in the room. Neil grinned. Andrew returned Kevin's searching gaze until the taller boy backed down.

"Well, if two of you say that, it must be accurate," Kevin muttered. He turned back to Gansey. "What other observations have you made?"

The team collectively groaned, but Kevin was fortunately silenced by the timely arrival of Wymack. "Nice to see you all again. Anybody dead yet?" He looked around the room and eyed Andrew a bit. "Have a seat, everyone." Everyone resumed their former seats. Blue shoved Gansey onto the couch and sat on his lap, turning sideways to put her feet up on Ronan's lap. He promptly pushed her feet onto the floor again. "Alright, let's keep it this way. Foxes, this is Adam Parrish, Ronan Lynch, Blue Sargent, and Richard Gansey the Third."

"Just Gansey, please."

"Just Gansey it is. Did y'all introduce yourselves?" The team gave a chorus of _yes, coach._ "You all know how the schedule works, and there are no surprises this year. We have practices at 8 am for the next few weeks before school starts. Any more questions? No? Good. You know the drill: physicals and paperwork tonight, practice tomorrow morning." He handed a stack of papers to Dan, who proceeded to pass them out. "Practice tomorrow is at the gym. Do not come here, go to the gym. If you miss practice because you came here, I will kick your ass into next week. That includes you, Freshmen."

The door opened and a very nice looking woman entered. "I see you all survived the summer." She smiled at Blue. "I'm Abby, the team nurse."

"She will be doing the physicals tonight," Wymack said. "You four freshmen are new, so you're up first." He addressed the whole room again. "Don't leave without seeing Abby tonight or you will not get to play this season. Does everyone understand?" He was answered with a chorus of _yes, coach_. "Good. Who is first?"

Blue got up, since she was on top of Gansey anyway. "I'll be first. Adam, don't let Lynch here pick any fights."

"Shut up, maggot," he replied as she slammed the door behind her and followed Abby down the hall.

*********

Once the freshmen had done their physicals and left for Fox Tower, Nicky turned the conversation to the new people. "So," he began, leaning back on the couch, "Who wants to bet that Adam kid is gay?"

"No way," Allison said. "He was totally checking me out. My money is on straight."

"He could be bi," Renee offered.

"I'll take those odds," Nicky said. "Also, I want to bet that the girl and the history boy are dating."

"Bet pool is closed," Dan said. "Blue already confirmed they are."

"Pity," Allison said. "He's cute." Renee raised an eyebrow. "Hey, I was just looking."

Aaron groaned. "At least I'm not the only straight person on this team anymore."

"What am I, chopped liver?" Dan joked. Aaron rolled his eyes to the sound of laughter from around the room.

"Twenty bucks that Lynch is gay," Andrew said suddenly. Renee matched it, and then others took sides on the pot.

"Time for the big question," Matt said. "How long do we think it will take any of them to figure out Andrew and Neil?"

Bets flew in from around the room. "All year!" (Nicky) "3 months!" (Allison and Kevin) "Christmas!" (Dan) "Spring break!" (Matt and Aaron)

"Two weeks or less," Renee said, smiling sweetly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid I'm going on a mini hiatus. It's the busy season at work and I'm absolutely drowning in life responsibilities. Current plan is to be back with Chapter 7 near the end of April. In better news, you may have noticed I have added a chapter count to this. It may change in the future, but I do finally know where I'm going with this!


	7. Columbia, Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Columbia Part 1: An interesting morning through Sweeties

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's here nearly a month earlier than expected! Any guesses why?
> 
> I'm sorry about splitting this chapter into two parts, but it was getting away from me and I like shorter chapters. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> TW: Some mention of scars. Let me know if I missed something that should be listed here.

It had been a very long week of practices. Blue had been far above her teammates back in Henrietta, but now that she was playing on a college team her new teammates were -literally- running circles around her. Drat that Neil. He hadn't spoken to her much since that first meeting. She wasn't sure if he was treating her differently because of what happened with Mr. Gray, or if it was simply that he struggled with new people. Kevin was also the bane of her existence. It was clear that he resented her presence on the team and didn't think that Neil had picked well. And that whiny little voice! _At least try to make a goal._ Fuck him.

Her Raven boys hadn't been having much more luck than she had. Gansey had somehow managed to offend nearly every single one of the Foxes individually. She'd overheard him accidentally being condescending to Allison. He got in a fight over some inconsequential history detail with Kevin on Tuesday and they hadn't spoken since. Blue wasn't sure what the problem with Aaron and Andrew were, but figured the twins didn't need much to be set off. Neil and Renee each seemed to distrust him on principle. Gansey's only good relationships on the team were with Dan and Matt, and that was because Gansey treated Dan with absolute, unfailing respect.

As for Ronan and Adam, it was going about as well as Blue could hope. Ronan hadn't gotten into any fights, and Adam was on neutral ground with everyone so far. Neither of them trusted any of the Foxes, but maybe that would come with time. They'd decided not to come out to the team until everyone was more comfortable with each other, which Gansey and Blue had promised to respect. Also, Gansey and Blue had a private betting pool on who would figure out their relationship first (the Foxes' gambling habits were addictive). Blue's money was on Renee.

Blue woke up on Friday morning feeling terribly homesick. It was nice to be on her own, but change was hard, and this morning she missed it all. The constant chatter of Fox Way. The quiet of her small bedroom. The tree with her father in the backyard. The knowing eyes of her mother. Carla's brashness. Persephone's oddities. Noah.

 _Noah would have loved to come to Palmetto,_ Blue thought as she cried silently.

Just as she was preparing to get up, she heard noises from the other side of the room. Crap. Up until this point, Blue had been the first awake every morning, and nobody had seen her without makeup yet. She only wore foundation. The other Foxes probably wouldn't judge her for her scars, but she didn't feel like explaining them. Maybe the other girls would leave her be and she could sneak to the bathroom later.

No such luck. Allison poked her head up over the side of the bunk. "Rise and shine, freshman."

"Go away."

"Oh my god, are you crying?" Even better. Blue sat up and turned to Allison to give her a proper tongue lashing but froze at the astonished look she received. Allison continued to stare for several seconds before breaking the silence again. "Damn, girl, you look like someone tried to gouge your eye out."

Blue threw a pillow at her. "Someone did. Go away." Blue threw the covers over her head and, blessedly, Allison left without another word.

Blue listened as the girls got ready, waiting for Allison to tell them all what had happened, but she never did. She woke up Dan and Renee and hustled them to the kitchen with promises of coffee, leaving Blue alone. Blue immediately jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom to put on her foundation. Then she got dressed and joined the others for breakfast.

Everything was as it had been for the last few days. Dan was throwing frozen waffles in the toaster and singing some dorky Disney song. Allison was sitting across from Renee, looking entirely too awake for a morning and chatting away, and Renee was sleepily sipping coffee and ignoring the other two. "Oh hey, Blue!" Dan said. "Want a waffle?"

Blue took a waffle and a container of yogurt and sat at the table, eyeing Allison. Allison looked at her and shook her head briefly before returning to her one sided conversation with Renee. She hadn't told the other girls, then. Blue contemplated that as she ate her waffles. She disliked Allison. Her constant perfection grated on Blue - the hair, the makeup, the expensive and tasteful clothes. In nearly all respects Allison strove to fulfill the feminine attributes as defined by the patriarchy. Also, she was a jerk.

She did have some nice biceps, though. Blue would give her that.

"So, Blue, what are your plans for the weekend?" Dan asked, sitting across the table with her own plate of waffles."

"Oh, yeah, its Friday already." What a week. "I promised Andrew I would go to Columbia with them tonight."

Dan's face turned hard. "You don't say," she said flatly. She stood, abandoning her waffles, and marched out the front door.

"That short little Monster dared to invite you to Columbia, did he?" Allison snorted. "Dan will never allow it."

"Why not?" Blue demanded.

"You haven't heard what he does there! The last person he took chose to hitchhike back rather than spent another minute with them."

Blue snorted. "Was it Neil?"

Allison laughed. "Who else would pull a stunt like that?"

"I will have to risk it. I did promise. I owe him for it."

"Keeping promises is the best way to get to Andrew," Renee said. The coffee was finally kicking in and she looked at least semi-awake. "He will respect you for it."

At that point the door opened and Dan returned, looking much calmer. "You have my blessing for Columbia." She took a seat and dug into a waffle as Allison stared at her. 

"But what about-"

"It's okay, babe," Renee cut her off, smiling sweetly. "It'll be different this year, and I think Blue can take care of herself."

***************************

They had just finished afternoon practices and Blue was starting to feel like she had been forgotten. As the team was leaving the building, she sidled up next to Neil. "So what's the plan for Columbia tonight? I haven't heard anything yet."

"We're going out for ice cream and then to a club," he responded. "Leaving at 5. Wear all black, if you have it."

Blue rolled her eyes at his smirk. Her neon exercise clothes were awesome, thank you very much. "I'll manage the black, but I am a little underage for a club. As are you, I believe."

"Not a problem."

"Okay then. What time will we be back?"

Neil seemed surprised at that question, the oblivious fool. "Oh, Nicky has a house in Columbia. We usually stay there overnight. That way we can be out late and drive back sober the next day."

Blue nodded. "Sounds good."

At that moment Gansey went past. "What sounds good?" he asked with a smile.

"Oh, I'm going to Columbia with Andrew and Neil and..." she trailed off.

"Kevin, Aaron, and Nicky. We're going for ice cream and to show Blue around the city," Neil finished smoothly. Apparently he didn't think Gansey would approve of the club.

Gansey nodded. "I hope you have a splendid time, Jane. Could I perhaps join you?"

"No, you and Adam are leaving to attend your mother's event tomorrow."

"That's tomorrow?" 

Blue rolled her eyes, but fondly. "Yes, it's tomorrow. You and Adam are going back to the tower to grab the bags you packed earlier today, and then you're leaving." Gansey looked relieved. "Now you boys stay out of trouble, and don't do anything that I would do."

Neil laughed. "Shouldn't you say, don't do anything I _wouldn't_ do?"

"No, no, she was quite correct the first time," Gansey laughed. "You would have appreciated the scathing remarks at the last thing Jane attended. The Senator was scandalized. I'll see you later, Jane!" He hugged her close before leaving.

Neil watched him go with a bemused expression. "Is... is he alright in the head? He seems very forgetful."

"Oh, he's alright. The second time he died really messed with his sense of time."

"The second time he _WHAT?_ "

"Oh, look, its Ronan. I've got to go talk to him. See you tonight!" Blue sprinted toward the BMW and hopped into the passenger seat just before it roared to life. She threw on her seatbelt as he peeled out of the lot, leaving a very confused Neil staring after them. "Hey, do you have any spare black shirts I can have?"

"Why, maggot?"

"I'm apparently going to a club with Andrew and Company tonight, and I've been informed that the dress code is all black."

Ronan laughed, a harsh sound. "Do you even own anything that is solidly black?"

"Why do you think I'm asking you?" Ronan groaned. "Also, I know you can just dream yourself a new shirt."

Ronan raised an eyebrow at her before turning his attention back to the road. "I'm surprised you don't just ask me to dream you a whole outfit."

"I don't trust you to get it right." Also, she enjoyed the making of things.

"I'm not giving you my stuff."

"Don't be such a shithead."

"Fine," he snapped, "but you owe me. Also you're getting a failed dream shirt."

Blue grinned. This was going to be fun.

**********************

It was obvious why Ronan had dubbed this shirt a failure. It was massive, longer than Blue was tall, and ripped through as if attacked with knives, or perhaps clawed through by a night horror. That said, the fabric was sturdy but soft, and it was one of the most fascinating things Blue had ever looked at. If you inspected it closely, it was definitely a solid black. Or was it? Seen from the corner of your eye, it swirled with overtones of color, like the sheen of an oil slick, always there but just out of sight.

Blue had a great time transforming it in the hour before she had to leave. She chopped off the bottom just above her knees, leaving it ragged. She used the rips as a starting point to pleat the fabric in odd directions, pulling it in on itself again and again until it finally fit around her waist, then belted it with a silver ribbon. She had silver knee high boots to match (a lucky secondhand find) and some black fingerless gloves which she had knitted for Ronan (it wasn't her fault they had shrunk in the wash). The girls whistled when she strode out into the living room area.

"You look beautiful, Blue," Renee said, sweet as always. "You are obviously quite talented."

"I can't believe you threw that together in an hour," Dan added.

Allison looked up from her phone, gave her a cursory once-over, and went back to texting. Silence was better than the cutting insults Blue had been receiving all week, so she would take that gladly. She said farewell to the girls and headed out the door, clothes for the next day packed in her backpack.

Ronan was waiting for her in the hallway, leaning casually against the door with a small duffle bag and Chainsaw on his shoulder. "Ready to head out, maggot?"

Blue raised an eyebrow. "I didn't realize you were invited."

Ronan snorted. "As if I'd miss an opportunity to drink."

"He totally invited himself," Nicky called as he came down the hallway. "Knocked on our door and asked when we were going, wouldn't take no for an answer. Hold on, is that a bird?" Chainsaw cawed and flapped her wings, making Nicky duck. "Okay, you have a pet crow-" " _Raven" "-_ raven, good god you're terrifying. Hot, but terrifying. Anyway, y'all ready to head out?"

Blue eyed him for a minute. "I'm ready as soon as I get some of that glitter you're dusted with."

"You're not getting fucking glitter in my car, maggot. And I'm not riding in that orange monstrosity."

"Hey, my orange monstrosity has quite the pedigree, I'll let you know." Ronan laughed. "But I suppose I've inflicted enough torture on you today." They followed Nicky into the parking lot where the other four were already in Andrew's Maserati. Nicky hopped in the backseat of the BMW to give directions in case the cars got separated, but sat as far to the side as possible after Ronan buckled in Chainsaw.

Once they were on the road, Blue asked, "How come Nicky can get glitter in your car and I can't"

"Nicky didn't steal my shirt, you fucking menace. Also, there's still some back there from the last time Henry decided to deck himself out."

"Who's Henry?" Nicky asked.

"A friend from Henrietta," Blue replied. "He didn't play Exy with us, but he'll be coming to school here in the spring semester, so you'll get to meet him at some point."

"Can't escape him forever," Ronan muttered.

"Shut up, you like Henry."

"He's a worse fucking nuisance than you are."

"And yet you still hang out with him. Anyway, Nicky, I think you'll like him. He's loud and fun and loves glitter as much as Noah does."

"Who is Noah?"

"Someone I miss a lot," Blue said sadly. The rest of the ride was mostly silent, beyond random chirping of _kerah_ from the backseat. Nicky started to quietly give directions as they neared the city, and soon they pulled up to a place called Sweetie's.

Ronan pulled up next to the Maserati and everyone got out of their respective cars. "Guys!" Nicky yelled. "I can't believe I survived a trip sitting next to that omen of death!"

"Oh fuck off, Nicky, Chainsaw is harmless."

"You sure about that?" Ronan asked, grin sharp enough to slice.

"Actually, no. Not when Nicky has been pissing you off," Blue conceded. Nicky was apparently too intimidated by Ronan to flirt directly, but kept hitting on Adam. Adam was amused. Ronan was not.

"What did I do?" Nicky yelped as Chainsaw swooped at his head. Blue and Ronan laughed, and surprisingly Aaron and Neil did as well. As soon as those two realized they were both laughing at the same thing, they gave each other a look and turned away, pretending that it had never happened. Interesting. The whole group started walking into Sweeties, Kevin insisting all the while _they will never let a bird in here_. Ronan just shrugged and whistled, holding out his arm. Chainsaw landed, claws digging into his leather jacket. Blue had stolen the jacket and modified it to have more padding in the places Chainsaw liked to land. Ronan had never acknowledged it, but he wore the jacket more often now, and that was all the thanks Blue could ever ask for. Ronan tucked Chainsaw close to his chest as they walked in.

The group claimed a table that seemed to be a regular spot for Andrew and Co, as Blue had dubbed them. She'd heard the upperclassmen calling them "the monsters," of course, but didn't care for the nickname. She'd met real monsters. She suspected these boys had, too.

Nicky ordered the ice cream special for the table and Ronan added some baskets of fries. Chainsaw cawed only once before Ronan shoved a fry in her beak. The waitress sent them many sidelong glances, but as long as Chainsaw was quiet, she seemed reluctant to throw out a group of regulars. Blue sat back and observed the table as everyone ate. Andrew was staring out the window with Neil pressed into his side (there really wasn't room at this table for everyone). Occasionally they would mutter to each other in what sounded like Russian. Aaron was texting and sometimes getting dragged into conversation with Kevin. Nicky was chatty and bubbly and barely getting any ice cream into his mouth because of it. He was the only one really talking, Blue realized. He looked tired and stressed below the smile, as if he were trying too hard to be the happy one and needed a break. Blue knew that look. She wore it herself, sometimes.

Just like that, Nicky pulled her into the conversation. "So tell us how you and Gansey met."

 _I'm never making eye contact with him again,_ she grumbled to herself. "Well he insulted me at my job, accidently calling me a prostitute, and then I ran into him again the next day when he came to my mom for a reading."

Nicky stared at her. "Well, we don't have time to unpack all of that," he gave his best Mulaney impression. "But I'd really like to. A prostitute? Really?"

Blue grinned. "Not in those words."

"She sure put him in his place," Ronan added. "You should have seen his face."

"Yeah, I about strangled him when y'all showed up that next day," she laughed.

"So what do you mean, they came for a reading?" Nicky asked.

Blue sighed. She had gone a whole week without telling anyone but Renee, and now she was basically telling the whole team by telling Nicky. "My mom is a psychic," she explained. "A legit one. Her readings aren't always precise, but they're always true. And if you're one of the 'lucky' ones to get a precise one, well."

Nicky immediately launched into a spiel about how he'd been to a lot of psychics. They all sounded fake, in her opinion. Too much drama, not enough soul, as all fake psychics were. "So can you do a reading for me?" he asked excitedly.

"No, I didn't inherit any of the psychic talent." Still a sore point. "I sat in on a lot of readings, and I could definitely pass myself off as a faker, but there's no talent there."

"Adam could probably do a reading if you asked nicely," Ronan muttered.

Nicky beamed. "Is he a psychic?"

"Yes, my sort-of-aunt Persephone taught him. Though if you really want to talk to a true psychic, you should ask Wymack." The whole table gave her startled looks. "Come on, guys. How do you think he finds troubled kids?" Kevin nodded at that, looking thoughtful. 

Nicky wasn't to be deterred. "Could Adam maybe use his fancy psychic skills to help me win some bets?"

"Not a chance."

"Too bad. There's some good pots out there."

"Really? What on?" Blue asked.

"Oh, the usual. Most of the big ones involve all of you, though, so if I tell you I risk spoiling them."

Ronan turned to Aaron. "What exactly do I need to do to make this annoying dipshit lose money?"

Aaron looked up from his phone and gave a small shrug before continuing to text. "There's a bet on when you'll fight someone, a bet on your relationship status, and one on your sexuality." Blue was surprised. That was the longest sentence she had ever heard from him, as well as the least assholish one.

"My sexuality isn't a fucking gambling pot," Ronan snarled. "It's none of your fucking business." He stood up, making Chainsaw squawk in indignation as he pushed Blue and Kevin out of the bench so he could stomp off.

Blue didn't follow, but she did kick Nicky in the shins. "That's a horrible thing to bet on."

"It's not the first time," Kevin said. "They had a similar bet last year when-" he cut off with a grunt as Aaron imitated Blue's kicking technique. "Hey!"

"Shut up, you'll ruin the pot!"

Oh, that was interesting. Blue would have to think about that exchange. The topic turned to Exy strategy as they finished their ice cream, just in time for Ronan to come back to the table. Andrew left a pile of money on the table, enough for the ice cream and a good-sized tip. Blue added another $10 on behalf of Chainsaw as they headed out the door. "Where are we going next?" she asked.

"Eden's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Covid threw my work schedule off. I'm considered an essential employee, but no longer need to work all the overtime I had so I had time to write! Yay!
> 
> Anyway, I still love contributions to the Foxes' betting pools. And now the Gangsey is joining the fun! Please leave a bet in the comments. Or commentary. Or any comment, really. They fuel me.
> 
> Be safe, y'all!


	8. Columbia, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to give a big shoutout to @kevindayprotectionsquad on Tumblr. Without them, this fic would not exist. You're rad, keep going feral.
> 
> Trigger warnings: drinking, blood, knives, some violence. 
> 
> This chapter isn't as polished as I would like, but its as good as its getting.

Neil checked the rear view mirror to make sure Ronan's BMW was still behind them before hopping out of the Maserati. He fetched an extra parking pass and handed it to Ronan through the window. "Follow Andrew to the parking lot. Blue, you can walk with them or come in with us." She hopped out as the two cars peeled off. 

"So this is Eden's," she said as Nicky began an elaborate handshake with security. "How long have y'all been coming here?"

"Nicky and the twins used to work here," he said. "The staff remembers them, so we are able to get in without ID's and drink for free."

"Nice," was all she said as they entered. He directed her to go sit with the others and headed to the bar.

"Hello!" Roland called when he noticed Neil. He nodded his head over to their usual table in the corner. "I see you have a new face today. Will it be the usual treatment for them?"

"No," Neil said. "No drugs. Do throw in several extra drinks, though. We have another extra coming in with Andrew."

"Oh," Roland drew out, raising an eyebrow. "What's the story there?" Neil shrugged. He didn't really know why Ronan was there, actually. They had only wanted Blue. Roland continued to wait for an explanation, but finally realized it was in vain. "Alright then." He started to pull out glasses. "I'll give you your usual and a few undoctored extras. Do you have any idea what they like?" Roland smiled when Neil shook his head. "Bartender's choice, then. And a soda for you, as usual." He handed the very full tray to Neil. "Have a nice night!"

Neil navigated his way over to the table. Andrew and Ronan had arrived, and the booth was very crowded. Nicky had pulled up a bar stool to sit on, which made just enough space is everyone squeezed in. Blue was looking around interestedly, while Ronan was lounging as if bored out of his mind. Kevin reached for the drinks before they even hit the table, but Aaron didn't look up from texting long enough to notice.

"So," Blue said as Neil took his seat by Andrew, "You did say this was free?" Nicky excitedly launched into the story of how he had worked there. Blue nodded along as if she hadn't already heard. "Cool then. What's the most expensive thing here?" Nicky pointed out a swirly colorful concoction and Blue snapped it right up. "This is mine, then."

Ronan laughed. "You're not going to get drunk on a sissy drink like that."

"Good thing I wasn't planning to get drunk. Go to town, shithead." Ronan immediately kicked back several drinks. "And give me your keys before those give in." Ronan grumbled but handed over the keys. Somehow, he and Kevin were neck in neck for number of drinks consumed. How they were still alive, Neil didn't know. Eventually Nicky dragged Aaron and Kevin off to go dance, leaving Neil and Andrew alone with the freshmen.

Andrew immediately leaned across the table, looking Blue straight in the eye. "You're suspicious."

"You don't know the half of it," Blue replied, sipping her drink. Her eyes had gone tight, body stiff, like she was absolutely dreading this conversation. She didn't back down, though. This girl was made of steel.

"How do you know Mr. Gray?" Andrew asked.

Ronan leaned forward menacingly. "You don't need to know that."

Blue elbowed him before leveling a glare. "I promised to answer some questions about _Mr. Gray_. He kind of scared the shit out of Josten here. I can handle this. Go dance." When he tried to argue she shoved him out of the seat. He picked himself up off the floor, muttering curses, but did eventually leave. Blue turned back to them. "I believe I told you that he is dating my mother."

"Why is a small-town psychic dating a hit man, then?"

Blue was shocked. " _You can't just say that were anyone can hear."_

"This is a club. It's too loud for anyone to be listening to us without being obvious. Answer the question."

"He came to her to get a reading when he was in Henrietta... _on assignment_ ," she said with a grimace. "They apparently hit it off quickly. I kind of avoided learning the details."

"That leaves out the very important question of why a hit man was in Henrietta," Neil stated.

Blue glared at him. "All you two need to know," she said slowly, "is whether we're a risk. I know about the Butcher and the Moriyamas." Neil flinched. "Mr. Gray explained the situation and dynamics to me when I signed the contract. We aren't a target for them, and it's my understanding that you've got everything settled here. Is there anything else?"

"Can you protect them?" Andrew asked.

"What?"

"If something goes wrong, I will not protect them. That's up to you."

Blue nodded. "I've lost enough of my friends this last year. Nobody will touch them ever again." Andrew leaned back, satisfied, and went back to drinking. Blue sipped her drink for another minute or so and then left to dance.

"I think she'll be alright," Neil said in German. Andrew grunted. "She has the look of someone who isn't afraid to fight."

"She has scars," Andrew replied. "Around her eye."

Neil nodded thoughtfully. "Must wear makeup to hide them. What did you think of the rest of what she said? Nicky says she mentioned a friend dying recently, and she let slip that Gansey has died twice, whatever that means." Andrew hummed. "I think she has plenty of motivation to be on the lookout."

They sat there in silence for awhile, lights flashing on Andrew's blond hair. It still surprised Neil, sometimes, how much things had changed for him in the last year. He still hated crowds, didn't like loud music or drinking, but he liked Eden's. This was Andrew's territory, and with Andrew, he was safe. He was home.

His thoughts were interrupted by the others coming back to the table. Kevin and Ronan eyed each other as they both did more shots. Blue said something about fragile male egos and the two of them flipped her the bird, rather clumsily. They were both pretty drunk.

"Fuckin Gray man," Ronan muttered. What was that accent coming through the slur? "Someday I'll get even with him." 

"You're already even with the person who matters," Blue replied. That was interesting.

"Fuckin Greenmantle deserved what he fuckin got." Neil could place the accent now.

Kevin did too. "You sound... you sound like my mom used to," he stammered. "Irish. Are you Irish?"

"Dad was Irish," Ronan grumbled.

"He gets the accent when he's drunk," Blue supplied cheerily. "It embarrasses the hell out of him." Ronan flipped her off yet again. 

"My mom was Irish," Kevin said. "I haven't heard that accent since she died. She used to tell me all these old stories..." he trailed off softly. "I wish I could remember them."

"Did she tell you the legend of Finn McCool?"

"The giant?" Kevin asked hopefully. "I think so, that one sounds familiar. I remember a really sad story too. It was her favorite. Something about a girl who was supposed to marry a king but started a war?"

Ronan nodded. "Sounds like Deidre, at least if my mom told me the same stories yours did." Neil listened with half an ear as the two of them continued to swap pieces of folk tales. They had a few in common, and others they did not. Ronan seemed less sharp in those moments, less like a knife and more like a person. It didn't last long. Kevin asked Ronan something about his father, and the sharpness returned.

"That's our cue to go," Blue said as Ronan stomped to his feet.

"But I want to keep dancing!" Nicky said.

"No, she's right," Neil replied. "It's late, even for us. Let's go home." Neil helped a swaying Nicky while Andrew grabbed Kevin, and he saw Blue half dragging a protesting Ronan out to the car. Neil overheard something about _pint sized freak_ and _I could take him_ , but he didn't hear Blue's reply. Whatever it was, it made Ronan laugh wickedly.

Neil deposited Nicky in the backseat with Kevin and Aaron and hopped in front next to Andrew. They watched in the mirror as Blue forcibly shoved Ronan into the backseat and held the door open for the raven to fly back in from where it was perched on the roof. Blue climbed into the car and they all drove the 15 minutes or so to the Columbia house, making sure not to lose her. Neil watched Andrew drive as the drunk ones argued in the backseat. "Staring," was all Andrew said, eyes still on the road. Neil only grinned and kept looking.

They pulled up to the house, the BMW just behind. Neil hopped out of the car and unlocked the house door as the others spilled out of their cars, Nicky and Kevin lurching from side to side. Blue was hauling Ronan by one arm with the raven perched on her head. Aaron was mostly upright; he's started drinking less after Katelyn had asked him to.

"Alright Nicky," Neil said. "Don't forget you gave up your room for Blue."

"An act of pure chivalry," Nicky said with a laugh. "To the couch!"

"Aaron, Kevin is going to sleep in the armchair in your room."

"I remember," Aaron said with a shrug. That may have been the most civil exchange they'd ever had, Neil realized after a second. Kevin stumbled inside, complaining about how armchairs always hurt his back, as if he didn't end up on the floor half the time when he was this drunk.

Then it was Blue. "You're in Nicky's room," Neil said. "Just down the hall, second door on the left. We didn't really figure anything out for Ronan, though there's an armchair in the living room. Please keep the bird outside though."

Blue only shrugged. "I'll take him with me. I'll need to keep an eye on him, anyway. Scram, girl." Chainsaw cawed defiantly but eventually flew into the darkness. 

Everyone situated, Neil headed up to the room where Andrew was already climbing into bed. Neil threw on his pjs and climbed in after. "Yes or no?"

Andrew thought for a moment. "No." Neil nodded; there were strange people in the house, and it was hard for Andrew to relax even with the bedroom door locked. He probably wouldn't get much sleep tonight. Neil turned off the light and was asleep quickly.

A few hours later he woke with a start as he heard a shriek and a thump downstairs. It sounded like Blue. Neil and Andrew both sat upright in an instant, hands going for knives but coming up empty. They grabbed the knives from the bedside table and ran down the stairs. Chances were that she had simply fallen out of bed, but after the hard lives they had lived it was difficult to ignore any sound that resembled a threat.

Neil gave a loud knock and called, "Coming in!" before opening the door. 

Ronan was in the bed, just barely starting to sit up. He had scratches on his face and arms. Blue was standing over a... creature, her pajamas soaked with blood. The thing resembled a bat, almost, only bigger than a person, and it had wicked claws. Neil watched as it took its last breath before Blue plunged a pink knife into its eye.

She looked up at them, hair wild, eyes untrusting. Neil almost expected the knife to come for him next, but then her face settled, as if she had made a decision she didn't like.

"Do you guys know where we can hide a body?"


	9. Fallout of Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue and Ronan have a body to dispose of and a lot of questions to answer. This is going to be fun. Not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure, I've never been to South Carolina and I did NOT feel like researching. The lake exists, and it is possible to rent boats there. All other details are completely made up.
> 
> TW: violence, dream things, we are disposing of a body here so discussion of stuff like that, panic attacks (not graphic)

Ronan hated the feeling of being frozen. He hated laying there in fear, watching the night horror moving for his throat. He struggled to fight, to defend himself, to not be helpless - but it was in vain. This may be the end for him, today. One bad dream where the old guilt resurfaced, bringing the night horrors in waves. Here, off the leyline, more drunk than he really ought to be, it was harder to control what he brought back with him.

The night horror dragged a claw down his face.

Suddenly, Sargent sprang to life beside him. He'd forgotten she was there. He'd griped about having her in the bed with him but in that moment he could have kissed her, girl or not. She kicked with both feet, knocking the thing off the bed. With a cry she jumped after it and drove a knife into its chest, kicking it in the gut for good measure. It collapsed. She approached it, raising the knife one more time, The door opened to reveal the two shady boys. Ronan didn't trust a single person from this whole fucking team, but these two were the worst. Sargent drove her knife into the eye of the beast, but Ronan couldn't relax with the midget's eyes on him.

He knew this could end in only a few ways, and he wasn't happy about any of them.

**********

Renee was just about to go back to sleep when her phone started to ring. She'd been awake for several hours in the night, bad memories stealing away her precious sleep, but she'd been listening to Allison breathing beside her and it had brought some calm back to her soul. Of course she would be getting a phone call now, and from Andrew no less. She gently reached past Allison and hit the silence button before her Andrew-specific heavy metal ringtone could wake her up. "Hello, Andrew. It's early."

"I need to talk to Natalie."

 _Shit._ Renee eased out of the bed and went into the kitchen. "What happened."

"Where in Columbia would you hide a body?"

Natalie hummed. "Lake Murray, probably. It's got 500 miles of coastline so there's bound to be a few nooks and crannies that could work."

Andrew hummed. "How do we get blood out of the carpet?"

"Andrew, did you kill someone?"

"Nicky had it coming," he deadpanned. "Actually, Sargent here produced the body."

"Who was it?"

"You'll have to ask her yourself. How do we get blood out of the carpet?"

Renee sighed. "Okay, he'es where you start..."

**********

Blue tried to wipe up the blood as best as she could while Andrew talked on the phone. He seemed to be doing a lot of listening. She wasn't sure who this Natalie was, but hopefully she'd be able to help them out. And keep her mouth shut.

Neil had, surprisingly, been fairly useless. "What do you mean, you don't know how to dispose of a body? Wasn't your father a serial killer?"

"That was Lola's job - his favorite," he explained. "I was too young to help out with cleanup before we were on the run. Plus, I think she preferred acid. Where would we even buy that?"

Ronan wasn't helpful either. "Either I bury them in the field or I make Declan deal with it," he snarled. "I never fucking leave home, maggot. How should I have expected this?"

Andrew stomped back at that moment, having hung up the phone without a word. "You two have a lot of explaining to do. But first, we're taking this thing to Lake Murray."

Neil nodded. "And the others?"

Blue shuddered before Ronan spat, "Nobody else gets to know. It's bad enough with you two." Blue nodded in fierce agreement.

She watched as Andrew and Neil looked at each other for a minute, silently conversing, before Andrew sighed. "Nicky can drive the others home."

"I'll tell him Ronan barfed in his room and that we will clean it up before coming home." When Ronan spluttered, he added, "It's the only way I can think of to keep him out of the room long enough. Got a better idea?"

"We could throw _him_ in the lake, too," Ronan muttered, drawing a laugh from Neil and a minute twitch of the lips from Andrew.

"Tempting," was all Andrew said before he turned and left the room. Blue noticed that Neil was watching him go.

Neil produced a long knife and started grinning in a _very_ unsettling way. "This thing will be easier to move in smaller pieces," he said. "You two go clean up." Blue and Ronan left him there, knife spinning, a serial-killer grin splitting his face.

They headed to the bathroom. Blue shoved Ronan in first, then locked the door behind them. "Why the _absolute fuck_ did you invite yourself?" she demanded. "I had this in hand. All I had to do was answer a few questions and _not be suspicious_ and now here we are, night horror dead in the other room and _suspicious as fuck."_

Ronan glared at her. "I don't fucking trust them," he growled. "Matt told me some things about what they've done in Columbia. They _drug_ people. Matt was an addict. They sent him into relapse and you were stupid enough to go with them? By yourself?"

Blue softened. "I don't trust them, but I didn't know those things. Thanks for looking out for me." She gave him a quick hug.

"Get off me maggot." He pushed her away. "Go get me some clothes, now I have to wash your foul stench off of me." She laughed and ducked out of the room in search of their stuff.

**********

Ronan finally started to relax as they drove to this Lake Murray place. They were following the GPS on the phone he'd dreamed up for Blue on her last birthday, as none of them had actually been there before. He always felt powerful behind the wheel of a car. The speed, the control, the impending danger: they were soothing.

He looked over at Sargent, curled up in the front seat next to him. She was shaking. He groaned a bit; she had seen worse than this. He turned on his music and "SQUASH ONE, SQUASH TWO" started to ring through the car. She groaned and reached for the power button just as they both heard a "the fuck is this?" from the backseat. Ronan batted away her hand with a grin and turned the song up even louder. He knew it was only a matter of time before he had to spill his secrets, so he may as well start getting his revenge proactively.

**********

Blue hated this.

They were standing in the sand at the edge of the lake, crowds swirling around them. The lake was a popular place on Saturday in late June, which meant that they looked like just another group of college students with their backpacks. Never mind that their backpacks contained pieces of night horror.

Neil stared out toward the center of the lake, eyes almost unseeing, breathing hard. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and tried to light one, but his hands were shaking too hard. Andrew reached out and put a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him down slightly. "You are Neil Josten," he said softly. "You are a Fox. She is dead."

"I am a Fox," Neil replied, leaning into Andrew. Blue looked away, terribly lonely for Gansey in that moment. It was too much. She was already falling apart, already on edge from killing a living creature - even a night horror - and the fear and adrenaline of possibly losing one of her Raven boys again, and then, seeing Andrew and Neil together in that moment, she wished she had Gansey beside her. 

Ronan elbowed her. "No time for tears, maggot. We've got a body to dump." Blue wiped her eyes as best as she could and took a few deep breaths. It would have to do. Once all of them were composed, they started to walk down the beach. Soon enough they came on a dock with a boat rental booth. After talking to the owner, they learned that they could, in fact, rent a speedboat for a few hours, but they needed to be at least 23 to do it.

"That's alright," Ronan said, slapping an ID down on the counter. "As you can see here, I am 25." The cashier raised an eyebrow and clearly didn't believe it, but shrugged and pulled out the paperwork. Soon they were throwing their bags into a slightly beat up speedboat.

"So why do you have a fake ID that says you're 25?" Blue asked.

"One of Kavinsky's pranks."

They hopped in the boat and Blue drove it out. She definitely didn't trust any of these boys to drive, and with how often she had watched Orla do it she felt fairly confident. They poked around a few inlets for an hour before they decided to just dump them into a distant, quiet part of the lake. Dream objects were heavy. The night horror would sink.

Andrew finally dropped the question as they headed back to the docks. "So what was that thing?" Rather than respond, Blue hit the gas, speeding up until it was much too loud and bumpy to hold any kind of conversation. Ronan laughed and tried to fist bump her, but they hit a wave and he cursed as he reached for the nearest handhold. Blue laughed. Andrew was glaring at her and Neil was looking kind of green, but Ronan looked the happiest he'd been all day, wind in his face.

Eventually they got back to the dock and returned the keys to the boat. They climbed back into the car and Ronan paused for a moment. 

"That was a night horror. I pulled it from my dreams."

There was a long silence in the backseat. "So magic is real, then?" Neil asked.

"Yes," Blue replied, "but not like, wizard magic. Psychics, tarot cards, leylines, those sort of things. Those are real magic."

"And dreams."

"And dreams, yes."

"Are the dreams always this dangerous?" Andrew asked.

Ronan growled under his breath. Blue forestalled the venom she knew he'd spit out. "Night horrors, like those things, are rare these days. Usually he brings cool things back. Magic things. Things that shouldn't work, but do."

"And the occasional annoying bird," Ronan said almost fondly. He'd left Chainsaw at the house, not trusting her to not attack Andrew and Neil in the backseat.

Andrew seemed satisfied, but Neil continued to ask questions as Ronan started the car and headed back to the house. "Are any of the rest of you magic?"

Ronan laughed wickedly. "I'm the only living dreamer I know."

"That wasn't my question." _Shit, he's clever,_ Blue thought.

At that moment all four of their phones went off simultaneously. Ronan never answered his phone, Blue didn't recognize the number, and Neil only laughed when he saw who was calling him, so it was Andrew who answered. He listened for a few seconds, gave a terse "they're alive," and hung up before turning his phone off. Blue's phone started to ring again. 

"It's probably someone from the team," Neil said. "Renee called Andrew and Matt tried to call me. You should probably answer. Five bucks that they ask if we tried to murder you."

"I'll take you on that," Blue replied. "Hello?"

"Oh, thank god," Dan said. "Are y'all alright? They didn't kidnap you or anything?"

Blue laughed. "We kidnapped them, actually." Neil laughed.

"Where are you guys? The other monsters got home ages ago."

"Don't call them monsters," Blue snapped.

"But-"

"Don't." Neil gave her an appreciative nod.

Dan sighed. "Fine. Where are you guys at?"

"Almost back to their house. We need to grab our stuff and then we will be right back. Should be about an hour and a half, right?" she directed to the backseat.

"Around that, yes," Neil replied.

"Then we will expect you around then." Blue hung up the phone.

"Speaking of teammates," Blue said, "was anyone going to inform me that Columbia with y'all had potential to be hazardous to my health?

Neil snorted. "You two are the most dangerous thing that's ever happened on a trip to Eden's," he said with a grin.

Ronan cackled. "Damn straight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kicked my ass.


	10. Welcome Home, Henry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry tries out for the Vixens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> disclaimer: I don't actually have any experience with cheerleading. I asked a few people some questions and I did some basic research, but I probably screwed stuff up and I apologize for that.
> 
> Anyway, y'all ready for some ridiculousness? cause I was.
> 
> Oh yes, this is about 1.5 months after the last chapter. I forgot to make that clear I think.
> 
> tw: vague reference to kidnapping

Henry took a deep breath as he looked up at the Foxhole Court. He was a nervous ball of excited energy, emotions matching the bright shade of orange that surrounded him, almost too much to handle. He’d always loved cheerleading, but hadn’t exactly had the option to pursue that at Aglionby. It wasn’t ‘a proper demonstration of masculinity’, whatever that meant. Henry smiled, remembering the fit that Blue had thrown when she first heard that phrase. He didn’t much care for the concept of masculinity himself. He just wanted to cheer, to yell, to tumble across the floor, and to be part of something bigger than himself. He wanted to put all his energy to a good use, and cheerleading seemed like a fun way to do that. Plus, he could be close to his friends that way. Exy wasn’t his forte, but he could, at least, make sure to be at all the games. This was his chance. With just one full week left before school started, the Vixens were holding open tryouts, followed by a week-long cheerleading camp. If he made it in today, he’d be set.

His phone started ringing, interrupting his thoughts. It was his mother’s ringtone. He ran his hand through his spiky hair and sighed as the country twangs blasted from his phone, then reluctantly answered. “Hey, mom.”

“I thought you were taking a gap year.”

Henry sighed again. “Not even going to start with a hello?”

His mother continued as if she didn’t hear him. “You’re welcome to start school right away, of course, but I would prefer to be told before you just show up in Palmetto.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “I stopped in to say hi to the Gang,” he told her. He really didn’t want to have the cheerleading discussion until after he made the team, assuming he did. “How did you know I was in Palmetto?”

“I always know where you are.”

“As much as I appreciate the in-case-of-kidnapping precautions,” he groaned, “I’d really rather you did _not_ use them until _after_ I get kidnapped.”

She laughed. “I didn’t, actually. One of my acquaintances was passing through and mentioned seeing you at the airport in Columbia. Complete coincidence. I hadn’t spoken to him in years, but he called to ask if I had any more magical items like RoboBee. Not RoboBee specifically,” she said hurridly, “but anything else along those lines.”

“I’m not asking Ronan if they have anything else lying around, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“Oh, no,” she said airily, “I’ll ask the older Lynch boy about that. I was just wondering why you were in Palmetto. Enjoy seeing your friends. Keep an eye out.” She hung up before he could respond.

Mood soured, Henry picked up his backpack and started walking around the Court building. He knew the tryouts were here, and that he was on time but he wasn’t sure where -- there it was. A gate was open with a sign that said Cheerleading Tryouts and a large arrow pointing through. At least he knew where he was going now. Henry followed the arrows until he could hear music going. He walked through a final open door and found himself standing on the edge of the court.

It was a stunning view.

He was a little overwhelmed by the space. This was a proper stadium, so it was huge, and it was _so orange why is this place so orange_. Girls and guys alike were milling around on the court, warming up and chatting with each other.

A tall, redheaded girl ran up to him as he was taking in the view. “Hi! Are you here for tryouts?”

He flashed her a grin. “Sure am!”

“Sweet! I’m Katelyn. Come on over here, we will get you signed up.” She led him towards a table set up on one end of the court. “I’m excited to see you here. We always have plenty of girls come to tryouts, but we usually need to go recruiting to add boys to our ranks,” she grimaced. “Apparently they all think they’re ‘too manly’ for cheerleading.”

Henry laughed. “I went to an all-boys school, and we didn’t even have cheerleaders for that very reason.”

Katelyn groaned. “Sounds just about right, for the patriarchy. At least you’re not like that. Or, I assume you’re not, since you’re trying out. Do you have any cheerleading experience?” She eyed him up and down. “You look a little wiry to be lifting girls.”

Henry laughed. “Yeah, I haven’t done any of that,” he admitted. “I have done gymnastics though, and am decent at tumbling. Also my friends constantly accuse me of having too much energy for my own good, so I’ve got that going for me.”

She laughed. “An abundance of energy will help, yes. Come on, I’ll introduce you to Coach.” She pointed out various cheerleaders as they weaved through the crowd of hopefuls. “That’s Laura. She throws the best parties. That’s Pete, we dragged him in here freshman year and he stuck around. That’s Marissa.” She paused for a second as the brown haired girl walked past. “Are you straight?”

“Excuse me?”

“We have a bet going on,” Katelyn explained. “Marissa seems to have a knack for only flirting with boys who are not into girls. You don’t have to answer, but it would be fun to add you into the test pool, if you will.”

Henry smirked. “I’ll let you know if she flirts with me.”

Katelyn raised an eyebrow but didn’t push the subject. She pointed out a few more cheerleaders before they came to a table. “And this here is Coach Taylor.”

The coach was about Henry’s height if you accounted for the extra inch his hair gave him. She shook his hand firmly. “Hello, young man. I’m Samantha Taylor but these hooligans call me Coach Sam. Welcome to tryouts. What’s your name?”

“Henry Cheng, ma’am.”

Her iron grey eyes seemed to pierce his soul as she gave him a once over. “You look like you’re probably good at tumbling.”

Henry grinned. “That’s my specialty.”

A smile split her serious face, transforming her almost into another person. “I’m glad to hear that. Go warm up, I’ll look forward to seeing your skills.” He did so, chatting a bit with the many girls and handful of guys he saw while he stretched as thoroughly as he could. The Vixens as a whole seemed very nice, but Henry could tell that Katelyn was going to be his favorite.

Soon the tryouts were officially underway. Coach Sam took charge, leading the whole group through a short routine and then testing them on it in smaller groups. They did some cheers and some test lifts. Henry was new to this bit, but the others were helpful and encouraging. He wasn’t sure if he was doing well, but he was definitely having a lot of fun. Then it was time for tumbling skills, his chance to shine. He stood at the end of the mat, received his signal to go from Coach Sam, and took a deep breath.

_run run roundoff handspring flip handspring handspring aerial_

He stuck the landing with a flourish and looked over to where Coach Sam and her assistants were sitting with big grins. Katelyn ran up to him. “That was great!” she said enthusiastically. “We haven’t had any guys that could do proper aerials in ages! You’re going to be so much fun to work with!”

He gave her the trademark Henry grin. “I’m sure looking forward to it, assuming I make it in.”

“Oh, you will,” she stated. “I’ll take it up with C.S. myself if you don’t.”

**********

The results were posted and Henry was in. Almost all of the boys who had come to tryouts were in, except for a creep who had been thrown out after a rude comment to one of the girls. Still, he was the only boy who got a high five from the Coach, so that was something.

“Welcome to the team,” Katelyn said as everyone packed up their stuff. “Most of the team is going to go get pizza tonight. You in?”

Henry smiled but shook his head. “I’ve got some friends on the Exy team that I want to track down tonight.”

Katelyn raised an eyebrow. “You’re from Henrietta then?” Henry nodded, surprised. “My boyfriend is on the team. He’s been complaining about the freshman this year.” She smiled. “I’ve heard something about a pet bird.”

Henry laughed. “That would be Chainsaw. Ronan thinks he’s so edgy.”

Katelyn laughed. “Well, the Exy team is having a movie night, and I was off to it.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “Do your friends know you made the team?”

“They don’t even know I’m in the country right now,” he replied. “Want to help me surprise them?”

“Absolutely!” Katelyn fired off a quick text which was answered almost immediately. “They’re in the girls’ dorm room tonight. Do you need a ride over or do you have a car?”

“A ride would be great, as long as I get shotgun.” They headed to the parking lot and hopped into her car. Katelyn fired it up and drove towards the dorms.

“So what brings you to Palmetto, exactly? Did you come here specifically to be a Vixen or did you just like the school?”

“My friends all came here,” Henry responded. “I’m closer to them than I am to any family I have remaining, and I couldn’t leave them behind for long.” Katelyn’s eyes were soft. “As for cheerleading, I’ve always wanted to do it, but it wasn’t a deal breaker for college. I’d find something else to keep me busy, but it will be fun to watch the Squad at their games.”

“The games are great,” Katelyn agreed. “How did you meet the Squad?” Her lip twitched at the last word.

“Oh, fancy rich kid boarding school, you know how it goes.” Henry waved a hand airily. “You scare a boy half to death and he adopts you into his magical myth-hunting squad.”

Katelyn laughed heartily as they pulled into the parking lot. “That sounds like a story I need to hear sometime.” She parked her car and they headed into the building. “I’m going to stop by my room and change real quick. Would you like to do that?” Henry agreed, and they took turns in her bathroom. The dorms were fairly nice, in Henry’s opinion. Once they had both freshened up a bit they climbed the stairs to the 6th floor.

Katelyn pointed out the correct door. “I usually just walk in since they know I’m coming. Do you want to know or would you rather sneak in behind me?”

“I have an even better idea.” He reached into his bag and pulled out RoboBee, which he handed to her. “This is RoboBee. I can control her from my phone, so don’t be surprised if she moves, okay?”

Katelyn inspected it. “Isn’t one of your teammates deathly afraid of bees? Aaron told me that all three of the boys freaked when a wasp got into the room. Matt had to go kill it for them.”

“Blue told me all about that one. Gansey is allergic to bees, but he knows RoboBee. Plus, if I scare him again that’ll just be a bonus!”

Katelyn laughed and took the bee. “This will be interesting then.” She opened the door and walked in. “The fun has arriiiiiiived! Thank you very much.”

“Stop quoting the movie before Neil sees it!” a boy called. The door swung shut behind her. He typed some instructions into the RoboBee app and waited. The commotion started about 30 seconds later. “A bee! A bee! Everyone hold still, I’ve got this!” said an unknown voice. Then there was Blue. “Hold up, that’s RoboBee! Don’t smash it!! HENRYYYYYYYYYY!” She threw the door open and launched herself at Henry, tackling him to the ground as RoboBee buzzed in circles around them.

Blue had her true smile on. “You’re supposed to be in Venezuela!” She helped him up and gave him a hug. “Also you scared Gansey shitless, I hope you know.”

Henry laughed. “I wanted to surprise you guys. The scare was a bonus.” He looked up to see Gansey himself in the doorway, looking a little shaken but overall happy. “Gansey-boy!” It’s good to see you!”

“It’s a pleasure to see you as well!” Gansey replied before joining the hug.

Some more faces came to the doorway. “So this is the famous Henry,” Captain Wilds said. “Blue talks about you even more than she does her own boyfriend.

He chuckled. “I hope you haven’t gotten any ideas about _that_ working out,” he said to Blue.

She shoved him away. “In your dreams, weirdo.”

“She didn’t even mention that you’re cute as hell,” a boy said. Henry was pretty sure that it was number 8, Nicholas Hemmick. “That’s a crucial detail.”

“Depends on who you ask, I think. Where are Adam and Ronan?”

“Oh, they’re in here,” Captain Wilds said.

“Yes, Ronan has missed you,” Blue said loudly.

“Shut up, maggot!”

“He even said you can get glitter in his car any time.”

“I did NOT!”

Gansey spoke over their continued bickering. “What brings you to our lovely corner of the world, Cheng? Last we heard you were still in Venezuela.”

“You’re talking to one of the newest members of the Vixens,” Henry replied.

“No way!” Blue high fived him. “I thought you were going to try out in the spring!”

“I couldn’t wait. I missed you all too much,” he admitted.

“We missed you too.” Blue grinned and dragged him into the room. “Hey everyone, this is Henry Cheng, one of our best friends and apparently now a Vixen. Henry, you knew who everyone on the team was before we did, but that one-” she pointed to the Minyard twin sitting next to Neil “-is Andrew, and that one there next to Katelyn is Aaron. And on that note, we have some catching up to do so we will see you all later.” She dragged him back out of the room. “Adam, Ronan, we’ll be in your room whenever you come back.

“But you can’t just ditch movie night!” Nicky called, pouting.

“Try me!” she slammed the door. “Anyway, Henry, let’s all do a sleepover in the room tonight! It’ll be like old times!”

“We should look into the Fox Tower rules, see if we can add you to our room,” Gansey said.

“As much as I like that idea, I’m probably going to be put in a room with my fellow Vixens. I’m pretty sure we are just downstairs though, so I won’t be too far, and I wouldn’t want to bother you guys.”

Gansey looked stricken. “You’d never be a bother. You’ve been with us since-- you’re a part of us now,” he said softly.

Henry hugged him. “I’ve missed you guys.”

Both of them hugged him right back. “Welcome home, Henry,” Gansey said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration for Henry's flips is the first guy in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seus_jAjhko
> 
> Thanks for reading and being on this journey with me. I'm having a blast. Hope you all are, too.


	11. An adventurous first week of school

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memorable moments from Blue’s first week. Aka, the author really misses the normalcy of campus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve been editing this thing for a month and I still don’t like it, but if I don’t post now I never will.
> 
> My version of Palmetto is based on the college I attended, funky buildings and all.

It was only the first day of official college for Blue, and it was not going well. She’d been secretly relieved when she learned that it was tradition for the older Foxes to walk the freshmen to classes. Campus was big, the buildings were weird, and she hated asking for help, so hopefully with her teammates’ help she wouldn’t get lost.

Her hope was in vain.

“I’m pretty sure we are at least in the right building,” Dan said.

“Then why are these doors all labeled with thousands instead of hundreds?” Blue demanded. “We need room 255, not 2250!” They’d been having this argument for about 10 minutes now and had still not found the room despite lots of wandering around. Blue strode back down the hall purposefully, noting the changing tile patterns below her feet. Why did half the building have purple tile? It made no sense.

Dan gave up and waved at a person who clearly knew where they were going. “Excuse me! Can you help us find-”

“Room 255 is down the hall, take a right at the end.” The girl pointed back the direction Blue had come from. “Everyone misses it. It doesn’t even look like there’s a hallway over there, does it?”

“Not really, no,” Blue said. “This building is a mess. What even is up with the numbers?”

The girl laughed. “This is actually two buildings smashed into one. See where the tiles change from gross to less gross?” She gestured behind them. “When they expanded the building they gave it a whole new name but also kept the old one.”

“Business majors,” Dan spat. The girl laughed again and shrugged. “Thank you!” They went around the corner and, as promised, found a hallway they had somehow missed, with a big sign for 255. “This is your stop, Blue.”

“I’m glad I insisted on being 20 minutes early,” Blue replied. “Who is walking me next?”

“Allison. See ya!” Dan ducked out, and Blue took a seat in the giant lecture hall.

*

Allison appeared shortly after the class ended, dolled to the nines as usual but - for once - not wearing heels. Blue gave her feet an exaggerated surprised look. “Sneakers are fashionable too,” Allison said indignantly. “And I am not walking you to the engineering building in heels. We have 10 minutes to go half a mile, and then we have to navigate the maze that is that hellhole of a building.”

She wasn’t exaggerating, either. Her next class was on the farthest corner of campus, and the lower level where her class was located was even more confusing than the business building had been. At least Allison seemed to know where she was going. She led the way down some stairs and through a maze of corridors until Blue was completely turned around, but they arrived at the correct classroom on time. 

“Aaron will be here to walk you back to Fox Tower,” Allison said. “Good luck with your class! 

Blue took a seat and pulled out her knitting needles, glaring at anyone who came close enough to stare at her. It was going to be a long day.

*

Blue flopped dramatically onto the bean bag at Henry’s feet. “I can’t believe it’s only Tuesday,” she groaned. “If this is what college is actually like, I should never have wished for it.”

Henry smirked. “Practices getting to you?”

“I’m used to practice. It's the early mornings that are killing me! And the classes.” She threw a pencil at the wall. “I’m surrounded by idiots.”

Katelyn laughed softly from her desk. “That sounds par for the course,” she agreed. “But if you’re going to complain, can you go elsewhere, please? I have a boatload of homework.”

“But it’s only Tuesday!” Blue was aghast.

“Junior and pre-med. Get out.”

“Is that any way to treat your new best friend?” Henry asked with obviously fake dismay. “You wound me!”

Blue laughed. “I’ll get this rascal out of your hair.” She reached out a hand so Henry could help her to her feet.

“Please.”

“See you at practice tomorrow!” he called as they left the dorm. “Thanks for the cookies!” To Blue he whispered, “ _ run.” _

They booked it down the hall as Katelyn shouted after them. “You better  _ not _ have eaten my cookies you little -” They slammed the door behind them, cutting off what seemed to be an impressive stream of curse words. Blue raised an eyebrow; Katelyn could apparently give Ronan a run for his money.

“I didn’t actually eat her cookies,” Henry confided as they descended the stairs, footsteps echoing. “She’s just really fun to prank.”

Blue rolled her eyes. “You’ve known her for all of a week and a half. How does she rank pranks when I don’t?”

Henry gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look. “I prefer to keep my fingers.” She laughed. “Also, it’s a Vixen tradition to haze the newbies with harmless pranks, but no good deed goes unpunished in my book.”

“Ah. The Exy team doesn’t really have anything like that.”

“The Exy team doesn’t know the meaning of harmless.”

“A fair point,” Blue conceded. She opened the door to her floor and pulled out her keys to open her dorm door. “Speaking of the Exy team, are you looking forward to the game on Friday?” She nodded hello to Renee and Nicky, who were having their Tuesday Bible-study session at the desks, and flopped onto the love seat. Henry chirped a hello to them as well before flopping across Blue’s lap dramatically.

“I really am,” he said, deliberately ignoring Renee’s disapproving look when he put his feet up on the armrest. “I just wish I knew the routines better. A week and a half is really not enough time to learn everything, even if one week was an intense boot camp.

“A week surrounded by pretty women in short skirts sounds like a dream,” Nicky chimed in. “Not that I could relate.”

“I could,” Renee said with a snort.

Henry laughed. “I can’t.”

“I knew it!” Nicky shouted. “Allison is going to have to pay up!”

Henry raised an eyebrow. “I see I’ve been subjected to the famous Fox bets.”

“Famous??” Nicky squeaked.

“In certain circles,” Henry replied with a smirk, nodding his head towards Blue. “What was the bet, exactly?”

“Gay or straight.”

“Well you all lose.”

“ _ What?”  _ Nicky almost screamed. “Dang it. I thought I had it in the bag.”

“Sorry not sorry,” Henry said with a salute. “I’m aro/ace.”

“Or Henrysexual, as he likes to call it,” Blue said dryly.

“And what does that mean, exactly?”

“That he’s not interested in anyone either sexually or romantically,” Renee answered. “They’re both the A in LGBTQA.” Nicky gave her a bewildered look and Renee sighed. “You really should look into our history more, Nicky.”

“You’re right as always, Renee,” he said. “Seems like a shame though.”

“Why you little-” Blue started to reach for her knife.

“And on that note I’m out of here!” Nicky yelped, scrambling to his feet. “I’ll look it up tonight!” He slammed the door behind him. Blue and Henry looked at each other and laughed.

“Sorry, Renee,” Blue said contritely. “I didn’t mean to ruin your Bible time.”

Renee shrugged. “He’s going to need to learn to control his mouth at some point.” She smiled with perfect sweetness. “Better you threaten him than me.”

Henry gave her an appraising look. “You do knives too, I think Blue said?”

“Did. Did knives. I try to use other weapons now.” She held up her Bible. “I’ve thwacked a boy with one of these and I can do it again.”

*

Blue wasn’t fond of having people babysitting her, but she had to admit it helped her learn a lot about campus as a whole. Allison and Nicky knew all the gossip, and how to get in with the best professors. Dan knew all of the school traditions and kept her from doing “unlucky” things like walking under the clock tower. Aaron knew all of the best study spots, and Neil had escape routes for any given situation. And Andrew?

Andrew had just introduced her to the best smoothie she’d ever had.

They were in the gym - the student one, not the athlete one - and Blue had had no idea there was a smoothie booth here, let alone one that accepted her food card. Andrew had shown up in Aaron’s place after her Environmental Science class and marched her over here without a word. He’d ordered them two chocolate and peanut butter smoothies (with protein booster) and a third mango strawberry one and marched them over to a table, still not even truly acknowledging her presence. And tasting her smoothie, Blue didn’t even care.

Then she realized he had paid for the smoothie. She stared him down across the table, hazel eyes meeting hers. She set her cup down with a small thump. “What do you want.”

He appraised her for a moment before nodding and sipping more smoothie. “I want to know how Ronan got that damn spider into our dorm.”

Blue snorted. “Prank war or not, sometimes a spider is just a spider.”

“It was the size of a dinner plate.”

“Point.” She sighed. “I helped him sneak it into Kevin’s bag when he was talking history with Gansey,” she admitted.

Andrew huffed. “Kevin has no survival instincts.”

Blue laughed. “Not off the court, he doesn’t.”

Neil appeared out of nowhere, as he was wont to do, and took a seat next to Andrew, who slid the mango smoothie over to him. “Thanks, Drew,” he said with a soft smile, and his eyes lit up when he took a sip. “It’s my favorite.”

“As you said.”

“Like 6 months ago!” Andrew raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, yeah, eidetic memory. How are you finding campus, Blue?”

“Too orange and with badly designed buildings,” she replied, “but at least the smoothies are good.” Andrew’s lip twitched, she was sure of it. “What is Aaron up to today? Normally he walks me back to the Tower around now.”

“His classes are different on Wednesdays,” Neil answered. Andrew gave him a look. “You’re not the only one with everyone’s schedule memorized.”

“I know why I know them,” Andrew drawled, “but why do you?”

Neil shifted nervously in his seat. “In case something happens and I need to find everyone.”

“Something as in a zombie apocalypse?” Blue asked, purposefully derailing the conversation. It worked. Andrew launched into a spiel about saving his family, and Neil argued for the benefits of rescuing all the Foxes until Andrew gave in. Blue sipped her Knockoff Reese’s smoothie, her own nickname (much better than the official one), and watched them. It was rare that Andrew talked in front of others, even to Neil, but she always enjoyed seeing this side of him. They weren’t friends, exactly, but they had an understanding after the whole lake incident. These two had seen the supernatural and hadn’t run away. That was kind of nice. They were assholes, yeah, but so were all of her Raven boys.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by a question from Andrew. “Sargent sews. What do we need to keep an apocalypse survival village clothed?”

Blue grinned, and jumped right in.

*

Blue took a deep breath and leaned forward, pressing her forehead against the cool metal of the lockers. Behind her, Allison and Renee were chatting and Dan was reviewing the notes on their opponents, the Badgers, one last time. Their first game was going to start in 45 minutes and Blue was terrified. Not that she’d ever willingly admit it.

She took another deep breath and straightened up, turning around. “Ready?” Dan asked. Blue nodded, and they all headed over to the team lounge where the boys were already waiting. Blue sat down on Gansey’s lap, ignoring the conversation about the Badgers that he was having with Neil, and put her feet up on Ronan’s lap. He pushed them off and she put them back. He left them that time, apparently defeated for now.

“Now that you’re all here, it’s pep talk time,” Wymack boomed. The chatter immediately silenced. “Here’s the thing, kids. We had a close game with these guys last year, and no doubt they’ve improved. You guys are the reigning champions and they will be coming for your throats. But we are not the same team we were last year.” He stared them each down in turn. “This year, we will work together. This year, we will fight as a team. Do you understand, Lynch?” Ronan sneered, but Wymack continued like he’d responded affirmatively. “This year, they won’t even know what hit them. Are you ready?”

*

Henry loved being part of the cheerleading squad. He was in the best seats, decked out in orange, encouraged to scream at the top of his lungs. He got to chant and run and flip and show off, and watch his friends play. None of his friends had been in the starting lineup, which was unsurprising, but it gave him a chance to see some of his heroes up close. He’d been rooting for the Foxes since they’d started to turn around last year, and it was fun to analyze each player’s style. It was also fun to see how his friends ranked among them.

Kevin Day was always the best. He was known for his precision: impossible angles, trick shots, balls moving just fast enough to squeeze through and not a hair more effort. His opponents knew what kind of tricks he would pull, and yet they still couldn’t stop him.

Neil was the fastest player in the entire NCAA, and was probably faster than all the professional players as well. And he was good. He’d come a long way in the last year, going from a rookie to better than average, and adding his speed into that - he was an unstoppable force.

Then, fifteen minutes before the end of the first half, Blue went on the field. Henry had watched her games at the end of last year, after they’d become friends, and he knew her style (as well as anyone could). She was strong. She was accurate in her shots. But Blue’s strength? It was that she was unpredictable.

With most strikers on the field, Henry could learn within a game or two how each player would move in almost any scenario. How they would block, how they would dodge around. With Blue, it was hard to say. She switched up her game on purpose but also by instinct, unwilling to let herself get boxed into a way of playing, a way of life. It made her difficult to face, according to Gansey, because she never acted like any other players on the field. When you expected her to strike, she dodged. When you expected a dodge, she hit you head-on. She’d duck around and through and  _ could not be stopped. _

And so it was today. Blue ducked around a ginormous linebacker and feinted for the lower left corner, a logical place to shoot based on the placement of the goalie. The goalie anticipated that shot and moved to block it. Blue scored in the upper middle part of the goal right as the buzzer for the half rang out.

None of his friends were on the field long, due to their status as newbies, but they all played well. Adam got a chance in the first half, and Gansey took one in the second. Ronan’s time in the goal coincided with Blue’s time on the field. He let in one goal, but blocked several more than that, and Henry was very proud of his friends.

The game ended 6-4, Foxes favor, and Henry cheered with the rest of the Vixens.

*

The team was in the parking lot, talking about the game and the plans for a party that evening, when suddenly a short blue blur ran through and tackled Ronan. Renee watched in alarm before realizing that it was a child- a girl? - in a white shirt, baggy overalls, and a flat cap. “Kerah! Kerah!” the girl shrieked, and Ronan laughed as he picked her up and gave her a big hug.

“Opal! What are you doing here?” he asked.

Just then a tall, handsome boy in a gray suit ran up to them, panting. “There you are,” he wheezed. He straightened up when he saw Ronan and gave him a nod. “Good game.”

“Oh fuck off, Declan, it’s not like you’ve ever liked Exy.”

Declan shrugged. “It got you into college, didn’t it?”

“Be nice!” The girl said to Declan without letting go of Ronan. “Kerah! I got to see you play! It was so fun!”

“It’s good to see you too, squirt,” Ronan said with a soft smile that looked out of place on him.

“Can I stay with you?? I don’t want to go home!”

Declan looked pained. “Please take her,” he said. “I don’t know if I can survive another car ride.”

Ronan squatted down to the girl’s level. “Just for the weekend, then you have to go back to Aurora,” he said. She shrieked inhumanly but joyously and latched onto his neck. “And you have to keep your boots on.” She pouted. Ronan stood up and looked around at the Foxes, who were all staring at him.

“So, um, who is this?” Nicky asked.

“Opal,” Ronan replied.


End file.
